Ethiopia Deadliest Landslides Death Toll Rises Amid Ongoing Rescue Efforts

Ethiopia

Ethiopia Faces Devastating Landslides, Death Toll Could Reach 500

The death toll from landslides that hit south-western Ethiopia on Sunday and Monday has risen to 257 and could reach 500, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Heavy rains in the mountainous Gofa zone triggered a landslide on Sunday night, followed by another on Monday morning, trapping rescuers who were helping victims of the initial slide.

Impact on the Community

The Ethiopian national disaster risk management commission reported a death toll of 229 on Tuesday. By Thursday, OCHA updated the figures, stating that at least 125 people had been displaced and 12 injured. More than 15,000 people are at immediate risk and need to be evacuated to prevent further casualties.

Search and rescue operations continue as images shared by Gofa authorities depict people using their bare hands to dig through the mud. One survivor, Tseganesh Obole, shared her harrowing experience with Agence France-Presse. “I was swallowed by a mudslide along with many people, including my children,” she said. Tragically, four of her children died, and her husband remains missing, presumed buried in the mud.

A Nation’s Vulnerability

Ethiopia, highly susceptible to climate-related disasters, has seen numerous tragedies due to extreme weather. The latest landslides are the deadliest recorded in the country. The disaster struck after heavy seasonal rains from April to May caused flooding, damaged infrastructure, and displaced over 1,000 people.

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Dawit, Obole’s brother, recounted his rescue efforts. Having been pulled from the mud himself, he returned to save his sister. “When I went there the second time, only two of her children survived,” he told AFP.

International Response

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, expressed his condolences through his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, saying he was “deeply saddened” by the tragedy. “The United Nations and its partners are working closely with the government, evaluating the humanitarian situation to determine the extent of the damage and assess the humanitarian needs of the affected population,” Dujarric stated. UN agencies are providing food, nutrition, health, and other critical supplies to those affected by the landslides.

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Senait Solomon, head of communications for the South Ethiopia regional government, informed AFP on Wednesday that the landslide site was prone to such disasters due to its slope. Conservation efforts, including tree planting, were underway at the time of the landslides.

Historical Context

Ethiopia’s vulnerability to climate disasters has been evident in past incidents. In 2016, 41 people died in a landslide after torrential rain in Wolaita, southern Ethiopia. Unusually heavy rainfall in the south and east of the country last November killed dozens and displaced hundreds of thousands.

In 2017, a garbage dump collapse on the outskirts of Addis Ababa killed at least 113 people. The deadliest landslide in Africa occurred in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in August 2017, killing 1,141 people. Another tragic event in the Mount Elgon region of eastern Uganda in February 2010 saw mudslides claiming over 350 lives.

Ethiopia continues to grapple with the devastating effects of climate change, highlighting the urgent need for improved disaster preparedness and resilient infrastructure to protect vulnerable communities from future catastrophes.

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