Georgian police open criminal negligence case after 12 found dead at ski resort restaurant

TBILISI, Georgia — Police in Georgia have launched a criminal negligence investigation after 12 people were found dead at an Indian restaurant in the country’s ski resort of Gudauri.

The victims, who are believed to have worked at the restaurant, were found in dormitories on the restaurant’s second floor, Georgia’s Interior Ministry said in a statement Saturday.

Police said that there were no signs of violence at the scene, but that a generator was found running in a closed room near the bedrooms. While officials have not said what caused the deaths, local media reported that the employees were likely killed by the generators’ fumes. Electricity was not running in the area at the time of the incident, and the generator had been brought into the building to provide heating, residents said.

Eleven of the victims were Indian nationals, while the 12th was a Georgian citizen, local media reported. An increasing number of Indian students have come to Georgia in recent years, with many working alongside their studies.