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The death toll from a landslide in southern Ethiopia has risen to 157, according to a local official report on Tuesday.
There are speculations that the number could rise following the magnitude of the slide, a government official reported.
The landslide occurred around 10:00 am (0700 GMT) on Monday following heavy rains in a mountainous area of South Ethiopia regional state. The last toll given was 55.
“The number of dead from the sudden landslide that happened in Geze-Gofa district of Gofa zone has passed 157,” a statement from the Gofa zone Communications Affairs Department said, quoting local official Habtamu Fetena.
Habtamu said the bodies of 96 men and 50 women had been found, adding that the search was “continuing vigorously” and warning that the number of dead could increase.
“Search operations are ongoing, and some bodies have yet to be recovered. The area presents significant challenges,” Markos Melese, head of the National Disaster Response agency in Gofa Zone, told Reuters over the phone.
“We have recovered 157 bodies from two villages so far. We anticipate the number will increase.”
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.
AFP
