Addis Ababa: At least 157 people have died in a landslide caused by heavy rains in a remote area of Ethiopia. Local officials gave information about this on Tuesday. Local administrator Dagmavi Ayele said that children and pregnant women were among those killed in the mudslide in Kencho Shacha Gojadi district of southern Ethiopia. Kasahun Abyaneh, head of the communication office of Gofa Zone, said that the death toll rose to 157 on Tuesday as the search operation continued in the area. As of Monday night, 55 people were reported dead.
Five people rescued alive
Gofa Zone is the administrative area where the landslide occurred. Most of the people were buried in the landslide that occurred on Monday morning. At that time, rescue workers were searching for victims after another landslide that occurred a day earlier. Ayele said that five people have been rescued alive from the debris.
This is the condition of the children
Another official in Goffa, Marcos Melise, said that many of the people who were caught in the landslide while trying to save others are missing. Melise, director of the disaster response agency in Goffa zone, said, “We are still searching for the missing people.” He said, “There are many children who have lost their entire family including their mother, father, brother and sister in the accident and are crying while hugging the dead bodies.” Landslides are common in Ethiopia during the rainy season which begins in July. This rainy season is likely to continue till mid-September.
Wrath of floods and landslides
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, southern Ethiopia is one of the areas of the country that has been particularly affected by heavy rains and floods in recent months. Earlier in May 2016, at least 50 people were killed in floods and landslides after heavy rains in the southern part of the country.
