At least 55 people were killed in a landslip in a remote area of southern Ethiopia on July 22, local authorities said, warning that the death toll could rise.
“More than 55 bodies have been found from the landslide,” a statement from the Gofa Zone Communications Affairs Department said, quoting local Chief Dagmawi Zerihun, who warned, “the death toll could yet increase”.
The landslip occurred around 10.00 a.m. (0700 GMT) following heavy rains in the mountainous area of South Ethiopia regional state, the Chief said. Women and children were among the casualties, he said, adding the search for survivors was “continuing vigorously”.
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Images shared on Facebook by the state-affiliated media outlet Fana Broadcasting Corporate showed hundreds of people near a devastating scene of tumbled red soil.
The South Ethiopia regional state has been battered by the short seasonal rains between April and early May that have caused flooding and mass displacement, according to the UN’s humanitarian response agency OCHA.
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