Dozens Were Killed Following Landslides in Southern Ethiopia

Hundreds of people gathered at the scene, digging in the dirt with aim to rescue those who were trapped underneath following landslide in Ethiopia.

(The Post News)- On Tuesday, more than 100 people, including children, lost their lives during the mudslides in a remote part of Ethiopia during the hit of heavy rainfall, leading to landslides in southern Ethiopia.

The two incidents happened between Sunday evening and Monday, following the heavy rains around the remote mountainous area of the Gofa zone.

On Monday, locals and police were at the site to rescue those who were victims of the first landslide.

The rescue didn’t go well, as the second landslide followed around 10:00 [07:00 GMT], resulting in the deaths of those who were at the site.

A local administrator, Dagmawi Ayele, said the victims of the incident in the Kencho Shacha Gozdi district of southern Ethiopia were men, women, and young children, including pregnant women.

On Monday morning, the majority of the victims were buried in a mudslide while the rescue workers continued to search the steep terrain for those who may have survived.

Gofa is part of the state known as the Southern Nations, near the Nationalities and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR), located 320 km (199 miles) south-west of the capital.

Addis Ababa is also one of the areas that have been victims of heavy rain and flooding in recent months.

The local authority continues to state that the search for survivors is “continuing strongly,” but the death toll is expected to rise.

Footage of the scene indicates more than hundreds of people gathered at the scene, while others were busy digging in the dirt with the aim of searching for and rescuing those who were trapped underneath.

The general administrator of the Gofa zone, Meskir Mitku, said the women and children, along with the police officers, were among the casualties.

A government spokesperson for the Gofa district in the South Ethiopia regional state, Kassahun Abayneh, said that the heavy rain on Sunday night resulted in landslides that left some people dead.

The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that landslides are common in Ethiopia’s rainy season, which begins in July and is expected to last until mid-September.

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