Soso Makaridze

Soso Makaridze

Tbilisi, DFWatch – The Ministry of Defense released names of the two Georgian students at the US military academy in New Jersey killed during a car crash.

The two died soon after Saturday midnight, after 9 am Tbilisi time. However, the Ministry withheld their identities before notification of their families in Georgia.

These are Soso Makaridze and Besarion Gorjoladze, both privates, studying at the US Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conecticut, on their 4th and 2nd years, respectively. In Georgia, both privates previously studied at the Davit Agmashenebeli National Defense Academy of Georgia.

“Ministry of Defense of Georgia extends the deepest condolences over the death of two Georgian students who were studying at the United States Coast Guard Academy and expresses sorrow to their families,” is stated in a statement released by the Ministry on Sunday.

Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili, and Giorgi Margvelashvili, the President, expressed their condolences to the families of the two deceased privates, along with Irakli Alasania, former Minister of Defense, and the US embassy in Tbilisi.

The collision occurred in the state of New Jersey, 50 kms north to Philadelphia, soon after Saturday midnight when two cars, Chevrolet Cobalt and Ford Focus, crashed head-on.

The Georgians, both in their early 20s, were passengers of Cobalt. One of them died on the scene, while the other was flown to the nearby hospital but soon succumbed to the injuries.

Three other people were injured in the crash.