ALBAWABA- Mudslides triggered by heavy rain in a remote part of Ethiopia have killed at least 229 people, local authorities reported on Tuesday. Among the victims were many who tried to rescue survivors, including young children and pregnant women.
The disaster occurred in the Kencho Shacha Gozdi district of southern Ethiopia, with Dagmawi Ayele, a local administrator, confirming that at least five people had been pulled out alive.
The death toll has risen sharply from the initial report of 55 on Monday. Search operations are ongoing in the area, said Kassahun Abayneh, head of the communications office in Gofa Zone, where the mudslides occurred.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed described the event as a “terrible loss” and noted that the federal disaster prevention task force had been deployed to assist in search and rescue efforts.
Many victims were buried on Monday as rescue workers navigated the steep terrain to search for survivors of another mudslide that occurred the previous day. Markos Melese, director of the disaster response agency in Gofa Zone, stated that many rescuers remain missing.
