Monday 16 / December / 2024
New York: Deaths from landslides in Ethiopia have reached 257, with the final toll expected to approach 500, according to the United Nations Office (UN) for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The UN agency released the figures on Thursday after the landslides in the mountainous Gofa zone in southern Ethiopia, the first triggered by heavy rains on Monday, the second engulfing those who had gathered to rescue people.
The revised death toll is an increase of 28 on figures provided on Wednesday.
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.
Seasonal rains have worsened landslide risks, with earlier flooding displacing over 1,000 people and damaging infrastructure.
Meanwhile, drought in other regions is forcing traditional herders to find new food sources.
