I haven’t had a chance to write more Sochi news as im working to implement a new feature for my other website. But here a quick run down on what interesting had been happening in Sochi:

• Abkhazia asks for direct postal services from Russia. Because Russia officially recognizes Abkhazia as part or Georgia, all mail from Russia to Abkhazia goes through Georgia. Even from Sochi, which borders Abkhazia. Georgia, in turn, uses it as a pressure point on Abkhazia, which is virtually independent from Georgia since 1993. This results in people of Abkhazia asking others to send correspondence to Sochi’s post offices, and then they to commute to Sochi to pick it up.
• Sochi officials will lobby to get some of the Olympic projects construction contracts to local companies.
• Residents of Long Beach (CA), USA – Sochi’s twin city since 1990 – support Sochi 2014 bid.
• «Development of telecommunications in Russia» all-russian forum is scheduled to take place in Sochi in April.
• «Banks of Russia – 21st century» international forum is scheduled to take place in Sochi in September.
• Archeologists find ancient writings on Sochi’s dolmens

Rescue efforts restarted monday morning, but were later stopped due to the high risk of new avalanche in the area. The search is going on for three people apparently sighted by witnesses. But nobody was reported missing yet, all hotels in the area are being checked to see if anyone’s missing.

A group of at least four people was caught under avalanche today in Krasnaya Polyana. Rescue group could reach the place of the accident 30 minutes later and recovered ten years old child from under the snow, but doctors couldn’t save his life and he died another half hour later. The search for the remaining three persons continued until night, and will resume tomorrow morning. Additional groups of rescue workers from Adygea republic (10 people) and Krasnodar Krai (46 people) are coming to join Sochi rescuers (37 rescue workers from Krasnaya Polyana and a group of rescue workers from Sochi).

The accident occurred in the top area of ski-lifts operated by «Alpika Service» resort on Salymovsky Tsyrk mountain at 15:10 local time.

I hope they can save those people.

I guess this also means we’ll probably hear soon new accusations from the opponents of the Sochi’s Olympic bid and new government’s assurances to provide safety.