Local authorities in southern Ethiopia announced on Tuesday that the death toll as a result of a landslide that occurred in the region has risen to more than 150 people, with the number likely to increase in the coming days.
The landslide occurred last Monday morning, after heavy rain fell in a mountainous area in the south of the country.
According to statements by government officials, the first landslide buried many people in the Gofa region of southern Ethiopia, while others died in a second landslide that occurred during rescue operations.
Marcos Melisi, head of the National Disaster Response Agency in the Gofa region, told Reuters, “The search for the missing is still ongoing, and 157 bodies have been recovered from two towns so far.” “The area is very difficult, and the number of casualties is likely to rise.”
An official in the Gofa region announced on Monday that at least 50 people, including children, had died as a result of the landslide.
Agence France-Presse, citing the Fana Broadcasting Corporation media network, also reported that there were “hundreds of people buried under piles of dirt.”
It should be noted that the southern Ethiopia region witnesses seasonal rains between the months of April and the beginning of May, causing floods and mass displacement, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The United Nations Mission in Libya reaffirms its commitment to supporting stability and conducting inclusive elections