Dale, Jul. 25, (dpa/GNA) – The number of deaths following several landslides in south-western Ethiopia has risen to at least 257, according to the United Nations.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) shared on the social media platform X on Thursday that they expect up to 500 fatalities. More than 15,000 people need to be evacuated as a result.
On Wednesday, Ethiopia’s government had still been reporting 229 deaths. The search for survivors continues.
Four days since the first landslide on Sunday, rescue workers are in a race against time. They hope to find survivors but are mainly recovering bodies.
Residents held mass burials in several villages in the region, according to a dpa reporter on the scene.
Affected family members in the village of Dale in the Gofa district were desperately digging for missing with their bare hands. Others attempted to locate missing relatives with the help of photos.
On Monday, a rescue worker was also buried during the recovery efforts. The Ethiopian Red Cross described the incident as a “tragedy.”
According to Red Cross, thousands of families are affected and have lost their homes. Rescue workers are trying to provide the people with food, emergency shelters, medicine and hygiene items as quickly as possible.
UN Secretary General António Guterres said that he was deeply affected by the disaster.
The African branch of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sent an emergency team to support the rescue efforts on site.
The landslides were triggered by heavy rainfall. With the start of the rainy season in July, the likelihood of landslides increases in the hilly region of Ethiopia.
The effects of climate change are also impacting the country in the Horn of Africa, with rainfall recently exacerbated by the El Niño weather phenomenon.
Furthermore, the risk of erosion is heightened in many regions due to deforestation, as the ground is no longer held together by the roots of trees.
GNA