At Least Dozens Killed In Ethiopia Landslides

In Ethiopia, local officials say least 50 people have been killed in landslides in southern Ethiopia. The local authority said the search for survivors was continuing vigorously but that the death toll could yet increase.

Two incidents are said to have occurred on Sunday evening and Monday morning, after heavy rains in a remote mountainous area of the Gofa zone.

Southern Ethiopia is among the areas of the country that have been hit by particularly heavy rain and flooding in recent months, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha).

But instances of landslides and floods go back further. In May 2016, at least 50 people were killed in floods and landslides following heavy rain across the south of the country.

Footage showed hundreds of people gathered at the scene and others digging in the dirt in search of people trapped underneath. General administrator of the Gofa zone Meskir Mitku said women, children, and police officers were among the casualties.

In the same way government spokesperson for the Gofa district Kassahun Abayneh said there was heavy rain on Sunday night and some people died from a landslide. He went on to say that the next morning, locals, including police, gathered at the site to save those who were affected by the first landslide. That is when the second landslide happened around 07:00 GMT today and those who gathered there died.

Gofa is part of the state known as Southern Ethiopia, located around 320km  south-west of the capital, Addis Ababa.