Southern Ethiopia hit by devastating landslides, death toll exceeds 50

At least 50 people have lost their lives in landslides triggered by heavy rains in the Gofa zone, southern Ethiopia, according to local officials. The incidents occurred on Sunday evening and Monday morning in a remote mountainous area, causing widespread devastation.

Local authorities have been conducting a vigorous search for survivors amidst fears that the death toll could rise further.

Distressing footage from the scene shows hundreds of people gathered, desperately digging in the dirt to rescue those trapped beneath the debris.

A partially collapsed hillside with a large patch of exposed red earth serves as a stark backdrop to the rescue efforts.

Meskir Mitku, the general administrator of the Gofa zone, confirmed that among the casualties were women, children, and police officers. “There was a heavy rain yesterday night and some people died from a landslide,” said Kassahun Abayneh, a government spokesperson for the Gofa district in the South Ethiopia regional state.

“In the morning, locals, including police, gathered at the site to save those who were affected by the first landslide. That is when the second landslide happened around 10:00 (07:00 GMT) today and those who gathered there died,” he added, as cited by AFP news agency.

The Gofa zone is located approximately 320 kilometers (199 miles) southwest of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. The region has been experiencing particularly heavy rain and flooding in recent months, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

However, such incidents are not unprecedented. In May 2016, at least 50 people were killed in similar circumstances following heavy rains across southern Ethiopia.

The increasing frequency of such extreme weather events has been attributed to climate change, which has resulted in a warming atmosphere that makes extreme rainfall more likely.