Georgia's PM killed by gas leak

[emad]

Guardian

Staff and agencies
Thursday February 3, 2005

The prime minister of Georgia, who helped lead the country's revolution in November 2003, died today after an apparent gas leak at the flat where he was staying.

Zurab Zhvania was at a friend's home when he died. He had gone to the flat at around midnight (8pm GMT) and security guards broke into the apartment at some time after 4am when they realised they could hear no signs of life.

Inside they found Mr Zhvania slumped in a chair, and the body of his host, Zurab Usupov, the deputy governor of Georgia's Kvemo-Kartli region, in the kitchen. The guards tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate Mr Zhvania, according to the country's interior minister, who made a live broadcast on television.

Vano Merabishvili insisted in the broadcast that there were no signs of foul play. A gas-powered heating stove was found in the main room of the apartment, next to a table with a backgammon set lying open upon it. Central heating is rare in Georgia, and many people use gas or wood stoves in their homes. "It was an accident," Mr Merabishvili said. "We can say that poisoning by gas took place ... It all happened suddenly."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/georgia/story/0,14065,1404795,00.html

[Moderator]

1. duplicate topic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1207943