Abkhazia Commemorates the 32nd Anniversary of the Lata Tragedy

SUKHUM / AQW’A — Today marks the 32nd anniversary of the Lata tragedy, a devastating event that remains etched in the collective memory of the Abkhaz people. On 14 December 1992, Georgian troops shot down a Mi-8 helicopter carrying refugees from the besieged town of Tquarchal. The attack occurred over the village of Lata, claiming the lives of all 87 people on board, including 35 children, 35 women, and eight pregnant women.

A solemn ceremony was held in Gudauta to honour the memory of the victims. Acting President of Abkhazia Badra Gunba, Acting Prime Minister Valery Bganba, members of the Cabinet of Ministers, deputies of Parliament, local administration representatives, relatives of the deceased, and members of the public gathered to lay flowers at a memorial site. This act of remembrance underscores the profound impact the tragedy continues to have on Abkhazia.

The Lata tragedy is considered one of the darkest chapters in modern Abkhaz history. During the Georgian-Abkhazian war, Tquarchal was under siege by Georgian forces. Air transport became the sole lifeline for the town’s residents, who faced starvation, freezing conditions, and relentless bombardments. On that fateful day, the Mi-8 helicopter, packed with refugees desperate to escape, was en route from Tquarchal to Gudauta. Its planned route was to traverse the Kodor Gorge and the village of Lata before continuing along the Bzyb Gorge. However, a surface-to-air missile struck the helicopter, causing it to crash and burn, leaving no survivors.

The loss was staggering, not only in terms of lives but also the broken families and unfulfilled dreams it represented. Among the victims were entire families, siblings, and children, some of whom had not yet been born. Tquarchal, a once-thriving multinational town, lost residents of diverse backgrounds, including Abkhazians, Georgians, and Russians.

Reading the names of the deceased is a heart-wrenching experience, as it brings into focus the sheer scale of this atrocity. Few families in Abkhazia were left untouched by the tragedy, with many having lost relatives or close friends. The memory of this horrific act serves as a reminder of the human cost of conflict and the fragility of peace.

The Lata tragedy remains a symbol of the suffering endured by the Abkhaz people during the Georgian-Abkhazian war. It highlights the resilience of a nation that continues to grieve its past while striving to ensure that such horrors are never repeated. As Abkhazia pauses to remember the victims, the call for justice and peace echoes louder than ever.