Over 100 people killed in twin Ethiopia landslides

Residents seen using bare hands to dig through dirt in search of survivors in remote, mountainous area.

More than 200 people have been killed in two landslides in southern Ethiopia, authorities said.

The first landslide, triggered by heavy rains in a remote region of Gofa zone, occurred on Monday and was followed by a second one that buried people who had gathered to help, state officials said on Tuesday.

At least 148 men and 81 women were killed after the disaster struck in the Kencho-Shacha locality in the Gofa Zone on Monday, the local Communications Affairs Department said in a statement.

INTERACTIVE - Map Ethiopia landslide-1721733082
(Al Jazeera)

Alemayehu Bawdi, Southern Regional State representative, confirmed the death toll and said “search and rescue efforts are ongoing”.

Five people were pulled alive from the mud and were receiving treatment at medical facilities, the government-owned Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) reported earlier.

It cited local administrator Dagemawi Ayele as saying that most of those killed were buried after they went to help the inhabitants of a house hit by an initial landslide.

“Those who rushed for live-saving work have perished in the disaster including the locality’s administrator, teachers, health professionals and agricultural professionals,” EBC quoted Dagemawi as saying.

Gofa is part of the state known as the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR), located about 320km (199 miles) southwest of the capital, Addis Ababa.

Kemal Hashi Mohamoud, a parliamentarian, told Al Jazeera from Addis Ababa that the second landslide happened “a few minutes” after the first. “People are preparing shelter and giving them food,” he said.

Images shared on social media by the state-affiliated media outlet Fana Broadcasting Corporate showed hundreds of people near the devastating scene of tumbled soil, using their hands to dig through the dirt.

dfasdf
A man searches for survivors as hundreds of people gather at the site of landslides in Gofa [Handout: Gofa Zone Government Communication Affairs Department via AP]

The state has been battered by the short seasonal rains between April and May that caused flooding and mass displacement, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

It said in May that “floods impacted over 19,000 people in several zones, displacing over a thousand and causing damage to livelihoods and infrastructure”.

The southern region has experienced landslides previously, with at least 32 people killed in 2018 after two separate incidents within a week of each other.

The flooding and landslides occurred even as other parts of the country are facing severe drought, which has prompted traditional herding communities to explore alternative food production methods.

The UN reports that millions in the country face malnutrition due to recent climate-related challenges.

Source

:

Al Jazeera and news agencies

Read More

  • Related Posts

    Two people crushed in Hyde Park, Sydney after tree falls

    Two women have been injured after a massive tree fell in Hyde Park in Sydney‘s CBD.  Emergency services raced to the scene about 3.05pm on Friday after the tree fell…

    One killed as Ukraine launches ‘massive’ drone attack on Moscow

    At least three people have been killed and many injured as more than 90 Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow region. Ukraine has launched a “massive” drone attack on Moscow, killing at…

    You Missed

    Huge savings on prescription medicines on the way for millions

    • By poster
    • April 3, 2025
    • 1 views
    Huge savings on prescription medicines on the way for millions

    Frantic search for on-the-run music exec Big U who ‘ran one of LA’s most notorious gangs’

    • By poster
    • April 3, 2025
    • 1 views
    Frantic search for on-the-run music exec Big U who ‘ran one of LA’s most notorious gangs’

    Manhunt launched after suspect escapes from prison van on way to court: Police warn ‘do not approach’

    • By poster
    • April 3, 2025
    • 1 views
    Manhunt launched after suspect escapes from prison van on way to court: Police warn ‘do not approach’

    JFK files named ‘dirtier’ than expected in major admission by head of declassification task force Anna Paulina Luna

    • By poster
    • April 3, 2025
    • 1 views
    JFK files named ‘dirtier’ than expected in major admission by head of declassification task force Anna Paulina Luna