Most of eastern Georgia - including the capital Tbilisi - was blacked out on January 26 after the "Imereti" high-voltage power line was damaged, amid a continuing gas crisis in the country.

According to preliminary information, the "imereti" power line, which delivers electricity from western Georgia to the eastern part of the country, was damaged as a result of heavy snowfall.

Georgian Energy Minister Nika Gilauri said on January 25 that the country’s energy system was operating “without any reserve resources of electricity” after the "Kavkasioni" high-voltage power line was blown-up in Russia’s North Caucasus on January 22.

“So even a minor problem or damage to a power line might cause a black out,” Nika Gilauri said on Wednesday after the government’s session.

Officials say that electricity is currently only being delivered to hospitals and other facilities of “vital importance” in Tbilisi.