Those who died during the tragedy of Babushera have been commemorated today. Major General Koba Kobaladze, Director of the State Service of Veterans Affairs, First Deputy Director Nikoloz Kvezereli, Deputies Miron Chigogidze and Jandri Ubiria, representatives of the Agency, veterans of the war and defense forces together with the family members of the deceased laid a wreath at the Memorial of the Tragedy of Babushera at the Dighomi Brothers Cemetery, and honored their memory once again. The tragedy took place 30 years ago at Babushera Airport.
According to the information spread by the State Service of Veterans Affairs, on September 22, 1993, a plane flying from Tbilisi to Sukhumi was opened fire by Russian warships. The employees of the military police and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, members of special forces, soldiers of information-intelligence service, fighters of Military Guard, members of the military unit “Mkhedrioni”, volunteers, medical workers and civilians were on board at that time. The pilot managed to land the burning plane at Sukhumi (Babushera) Airport, but unfortunately, only 16 passengers survived among more than 100 others and the rest died.
Their bodies were buried near the airport. In the aftermath of the completion of hostilities in Abkhazia, the cadaver of the dead were identified and transferred from Babushera Tomb. In 2010, a bilateral coordination group was created under the auspices of the Red Cross which will investigate the case of those who went missing in the Abkhazian War of 1992-1993. As a result of negotiations with the representatives of the de facto government of Abkhazia, Babushera Brothers Cemetery and other graves were decided to open in the territory of Abkhazia. The process of transfer is underway step by step.
The cadaver of the victims of Babushera tragedy are buried at the Dighomi Brothers Cemetery. The joint work of the state and the International Red Cross continues to identify and transfer the dead who were killed in the battle for the territorial integrity of the country.
