By More than 200 people have died in two landslides in southern Ethiopia, according to authorities. The first landslide, triggered by heavy rains in a remote region of the Gofa zone, occurred on Monday. It was followed by a second landslide that buried individuals who had gathered to assist, state officials reported on Tuesday.
The disaster struck in the Kencho-Shacha locality in the Gofa Zone, resulting in the deaths of at least 148 men and 81 women, as stated by the local Communications Affairs Department. Alemayehu Bawdi, a Southern Regional State representative, confirmed the death toll and mentioned that search and rescue efforts are ongoing.
Five people were rescued from the mud and are receiving medical treatment, according to the government-owned Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC). The local administrator, Dagemawi Ayele, noted that most of the victims were buried while helping the inhabitants of a house affected by the initial landslide. Among those who perished were the locality’s administrator, teachers, health professionals, and agricultural professionals.
Gofa is part of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR), located about 320km (199 miles) southwest of 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 providing food,” he said.
Images shared on social media by state-affiliated media outlet Fana Broadcasting Corporate showed hundreds of people at the scene, using their hands to dig through the dirt.
The region has been affected by short seasonal rains between April and May, causing flooding and mass displacement, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In May, OCHA reported that floods impacted over 19,000 people, displacing over a thousand and damaging livelihoods and infrastructure.
The southern region has a history of landslides, with at least 32 people killed in 2018 after two separate incidents within a week of each other. Meanwhile, other parts of Ethiopia are experiencing severe drought, leading traditional herding communities to seek alternative food production methods. The UN reports that millions in the country face malnutrition due to recent climate-related challenges.
