Ethiopian authorities said at least 157 people have died in mudslides in a remote area hit by heavy rainfall, The Associated Press (AP) reported Tuesday.
The deceased include young children and pregnant women, Dagmawi Ayele, a local administrator, told the outlet. (RELATED: Over 2,000 Feared To Have Been Buried In Papua New Guinea Landslide)
So far at least five people have been pulled alive from the mud, Ayele told the AP.
Death toll in southern Ethiopia mudslides rises to at least 146 as search operations continue https://t.co/Daoegr12Lu
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 23, 2024
“We are still searching for the missing,” Markos Melese, the director of the disaster response agency in Gofa Zone, told the outlet. The official added that many people hit by the mudslides in the Gofa Zone are still missing.
A group of kids play football after heavy rains in Addis Ababa on November 18, 2023. (Photo by MICHELE SPATARI/AFP via Getty Images)
GAMOLE, ETHIOPIA – JUNE 14: Dorze woman in the middle of enset false bananas trees, Gamo Gofa Zone, Gamole, Ethiopia on June 14, 2017 in Gamole, Ethiopia. (Photo by Eric Lafforgue/Art In All Of Us/Corbis via Getty Images)
“There are children who are hugging corpses, having lost their entire family, including mother, father, brother and sister, due to the accident,” Melese said.
GAMOLE, ETHIOPIA – JUNE 14: A Dorze woman cooks unleavened bread made from the false banana tree, Gamo Gofa Zone, Gamole, Ethiopia on June 14, 2017 in Gamole, Ethiopia. (Photo by Eric Lafforgue/Art In All Of Us/Corbis via Getty Images)
A genreral view of destroyed homes covered with muddy water in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on August 18, 2021, after a heavy rain poured down on august 17, 2021 which led to floods. (Photo by AMANUEL SILESHI/AFP via Getty Images)
“Our hearts and prayers are with the families of the more than 157 community members who tragically lost their lives in devastating landslides …We stand in strong solidarity with the people and Government of #Ethiopia as rescue efforts continue to find the missing and assist the displaced,” Moussa Faki Mahamat, the president of the African Union Commission, tweeted Tuesday.
Our hearts and prayers are with the families of the more than 157 community members who tragically lost their lives in devastating landslides following heavy rains in southern Ethiopia’s #Gofa district. We stand in strong solidarity with the people and Government of #Ethiopia as…
— Moussa Faki Mahamat (@AUC_MoussaFaki) July 23, 2024
Landslides are common in Ethiopia during the rainy season, which runs from July to mid-September.
