Written By Lisa Murimi
At least 50 people have been killed in landslides in southern Ethiopia, according to local officials.
The incidents occurred on Sunday evening and Monday morning after heavy rains in the remote, mountainous Gofa zone.
Authorities reported that the search for survivors is “continuing vigorously” and warned that the death toll could rise.
Footage from the scene shows hundreds of people gathered, digging through the dirt in an attempt to rescue those trapped beneath the rubble. A partially collapsed hillside and a large patch of exposed red earth highlight the devastation.
Meskir Mitku, the general administrator of the Gofa zone, confirmed that women, children, and police officers were among the casualties. Kassahun Abayneh, a government spokesperson for the Gofa district, detailed the tragic sequence of events:
“There was heavy rain Sunday night and some people died from a landslide. In the morning, locals, including police, gathered to rescue those affected by the first landslide. Then, around 10:00 [07:00 GMT] Monday, a second landslide occurred, killing those who had gathered.”
The Gofa zone is part of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR), approximately 320km (199 miles) southwest of the capital, Addis Ababa.
The SNNPR has experienced heavy rain and flooding in recent months, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha).
Flooding and landslides in the region are not unprecedented. In May 2016, at least 50 people were killed under similar circumstances.
Climate change, which contributes to more extreme rainfall, exacerbates the risk of such natural disasters. The world has warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began, and temperatures will continue to rise unless significant cuts to global emissions are made.
