At least 157 bodies have been recovered from two villages in Ethiopia following a series of devastating landslides that struck the regions on consecutive days.
The first landslide, triggered by heavy rains, hit a remote mountainous area in the Gofa zone on Sunday evening. The following morning, a second landslide engulfed local residents, including police officers who had gathered to assist with the aftermath.
Markos Melese, the zonal head of the national disaster response agency in Gofa, informed Reuters that the search efforts are still ongoing and some bodies remain unaccounted for. The current death toll has tripled from the number of bodies recovered on Monday.
Meskir Mitku, the general administrator of the Gofa zone, confirmed that among the victims were women and children. Social media footage showed hundreds of people at the scene, with many digging through the debris to locate trapped individuals.
The southern region of Ethiopia has been severely affected by seasonal rains from April to May, leading to flooding and widespread displacement, as reported by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In May, OCHA reported that floods impacted over 19,000 people, displacing more than a thousand and causing significant damage to livelihoods and infrastructure.
Landslides are not uncommon in this region. In 2018, at least 32 people were killed in two separate incidents within a week. Additionally, in May 2016, floods and landslides caused by heavy rains resulted in approximately 50 fatalities. The recent natural disasters come amidst severe drought conditions affecting other parts of the country.
