The United Nations reported Thursday that the death toll from landslides in a remote part of southern Ethiopia has reached 257, with the number potentially climbing to 500.
Rescue teams continue their somber efforts in Kencho Shacha Gozdi, where anguished locals are sifting through mud with their hands and shovels in search of victims and survivors. Solomon Tsoma shared that 13 of his relatives have perished, including his uncle’s seven children and his brother’s infants. “We’ve recovered 12 bodies, but my sister’s remains are still missing,” he said.
According to the U.N. humanitarian agency OCHA, the current toll of 257 deaths is based on local reports, with projections suggesting the final count could approach 500. The agency also noted that over 15,000 people, including 1,320 young children and 5,293 pregnant women or new mothers, need evacuation due to the threat of additional landslides.
Aid efforts are underway, with the Ethiopian Red Cross Society sending four truckloads of supplies to the affected region. This landslide marks the deadliest such event on record in Ethiopia, a country frequently hit by climate-related disasters.
Bodies covered in shrouds
Officials reported that many of the victims were buried as rescuers hurried to assist following the initial landslide, which occurred after heavy rains on Sunday in an area about 480 kilometers (270 miles) from the capital, Addis Ababa.
Resident Getachew Geza recounted how he and his son rushed to the scene after learning that two houses had been buried. “When we arrived, a massive mudslide engulfed everyone, including my son,” he said.
Other villagers transported bodies on improvised stretchers, while nearby, women mourned beside a row of bodies covered in shrouds, awaiting burial.
OCHA reported that 12 injured individuals have been sent to a local hospital, and at least 125 people have been displaced. The total number of missing persons remains unknown.
Guterres expresses profound sadness
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres extended his condolences over the disaster, with his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, noting that he was “deeply saddened.”
Dujarric also mentioned that U.N. agencies are sending essential supplies, including food, nutrition, and health resources, to support those affected by the landslides.
Senait Solomon, communications head for the South Ethiopia regional government, stated that the landslide site was on a sloped, “disaster-prone” area and that conservation efforts, including tree planting, had been ongoing when the landslides occurred.
In Ethiopia, over 21 million people—about 18% of the population—depend on humanitarian aid due to conflicts, flooding, drought, and other natural disasters.
OCHA reported this week that a similar landslide in the same region in May had claimed more than 50 lives. Seasonal rains from April to early May had caused flooding, displacements, and damage to infrastructure and livelihoods.
Previously, in 2017, a garbage dump collapse in the outskirts of Addis Ababa resulted in at least 113 deaths. The deadliest landslide in Africa occurred in August 2017 in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where 1,141 people lost their lives. Mudslides in February 2010 in the Mount Elgon region of eastern Uganda resulted in over 350 deaths.