ETHIOPIA LANDSLIDES DEATH TOLL RISES TO 257, COULD REACH 500: UN

Thu 25 July 2024:

The death toll from Monday’s landslide in southern Ethiopia has risen to 257, and could reach up to 500, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said Thursday.

More than 15,000 affected people need to be evacuated, and the government is finalizing an evacuation plan, UNOCHA said in a situation report.

The landslide in Geze Gofa District occurred Monday morning in the midst of a rainy season, which is expected to last until mid-September.

Some of the victims died in subsequent secondary landslides. Many remain unaccounted for.

Seasonal rains occasionally cause deadly landslides in some parts of the East African country.

The soil in southern Ethiopia has been saturated by seasonal rains, making the area more prone to landslides. Rains from April to early May caused flooding and mass displacement, according to OCHA.

It said in May that “floods impacted over 19,000 people in several zones, displacing over 1,000 and causing damage to livelihoods and infrastructure”.

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Hundreds of people combed through red mud at the scene of the disaster in the Kencho Shacha locality, searching for survivors of the deadliest landslide recorded in Africa’s second most populous country.

“More than 15,000 affected people need to be evacuated,” OCHA said. The figures included at least 1,320 children as well as 5,293 pregnant women and new mothers.

The state Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) reported that most of those killed were buried after they went to help the inhabitants of a house hit by an initial landslide.

“Those who rushed for live-saving work have perished in the disaster, including the locality’s administrator, teachers, health professionals and agricultural professionals,” EBC quoted local administrator Dagemawi Ayele as saying.

The flooding and landslides occurred even as other parts of the country are facing severe drought, which has prompted traditional herding communities to explore alternative food production methods.

The UN reports that millions of people in the country face malnutrition due to climate-related challenges.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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