Ethiopia: At Least 11 Dead in New Landslide

Damages caused by the new landslides in south Ethiopia, Aug 5, 2024 Photo: @zborkena

August 5, 2024 Hour: 7:52 pm

Although eleven bodies have been found so far, the number of victims is expected to increase

At least eleven people died this Monday in another landslide in the southern region of Ethiopia, local authorities reported, just two weeks after several landslides caused by heavy rains claimed the lives of at least 257 people.

Although eleven bodies have been found so far, the number of victims is expected to increase, the Communications Office of the State of Southern Ethiopia said in a statement.

The landslide occurred around 11:00 local time (8:00 GMT) this Monday in the village of Tepa, in the area of Wolayta, within the southern region of the Horn of Africa country.

At the moment, residents of the affected area are being evacuated, the source said.

#ETHIOPIA: A landslide killed at least 11 people in southern Ethiopia on Monday not far from the site of a similar disaster last month, the local authority said.
Eleven bodies have been found after a landslide in the Kawo Koisha district of the Wolaita administrative zone, and… pic.twitter.com/HpNUIpvUTf
— MwanzoTV (@MwanzoTv) August 5, 2024

Between 21 and 22 July, landslides caused by heavy rains also killed at least 257 people in the southern region of Ethiopia, in the remote Gofa district, some 470 kilometres from the capital, Addis Ababa.

The landslide initially affected nine houses which were destroyed after heavy rains, which mobilized residents and the police to try to rescue people who had been trapped.

Ethiopia and the other countries of the Horn of Africa have been hit hard in recent years by extreme weather events aggravated by climate change, such as floods or droughts, that have left thousands dead in the region.