Residents seen using their bare hands to dig in the earth to search for survivors in a remote mountainous area.
The death toll from two landslides in southern Ethiopia has risen to more than 100 people, according to government officials, who warned the toll could rise.
The first landslide, triggered by heavy rain in a remote region of the Gofa area, occurred on Monday and was followed by a second that buried people who had gathered to help, state officials said on Tuesday.
At least 157 bodies have been recovered from two villages, Markos Melese, zonal head of the national disaster response agency in Gofa, told Reuters news agency by phone, adding that the search was ongoing and “there are bodies that have not yet been found.” ”. recovered”.
Citing officials in Gofa, the AFP news agency reported at least 146 dead, while the Associated Press news agency said the death toll had risen from 55 to 157 people.
“Initially there were three families that were buried by the landslide. We’re still looking for bodies. But the death toll increased after the people who came to rescue were also trapped,” said district administrator Misikir Mitiku.
As the images showed people digging the red earth with their bare hands, Mitiku said they would need earth moving machines to help with recovery operations.
Gofa is part of the state known as the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR), located about 320 km (199 miles) southwest of the capital, Addis Ababa.
Kemal Hashi Mohamoud, a parliamentarian, told Al Jazeera from Addis Ababa that the second landslide happened “a few minutes” after the first. “People are preparing shelters and giving them food,” he said.
Dagmawi Ayele, a local administrator, told the AP that children and pregnant women were among the victims.
Images shared on social media by state media outlet Fana Broadcasting Corporate showed hundreds of people near the devastating scene of collapsed soil, using their hands to dig in the earth.
The state was hit by short seasonal rains between April and May, which caused flooding and mass displacement, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
He stated in May that “the floods affected more than 19,000 people in several areas, displacing more than a thousand and causing damage to livelihoods and infrastructure”.
The southern region has suffered landslides before, with at least 32 people killed in 2018 after two separate incidents a week apart.
The floods and landslides have occurred even as other parts of the country face severe drought, prompting traditional pastoralist communities to explore alternative methods of food production.
The UN reports that millions of people in the country face malnutrition due to recent climate-related challenges.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
