At least 157 people have perished in mudslides that struck a remote area of southern Ethiopia, which has been experiencing heavy rainfall. Many of the victims were trying to rescue survivors of an earlier mudslide when they were caught in the second disaster, local authorities said on Tuesday.
Young children and pregnant women were among the fatalities in the Kencho Shacha Gozdi district, according to Dagmawi Ayele, a local administrator.
The death toll climbed from 55 late Monday to 157 on Tuesday as search operations continued in the area, said Kassahun Abayneh, head of the Gofa Zone communications office. The Gofa Zone is the administrative area where the mudslides occurred.
The majority of the victims were buried in a mudslide on Monday morning as rescue teams combed the steep terrain for survivors of another mudslide the previous day.
At least five individuals have been pulled alive from the mud, Ayele said.
Another official in Gofa, Markos Melese, said numerous people remain unaccounted for among those who were covered by mud while attempting to rescue others.
“We are still searching for the missing,” said Melese, director of the agency in Gofa Zone.
“There are children who are hugging corpses, having lost their entire family, including mother, father, brother and sister, due to the accident,” he said.
Landslides are a frequent occurrence during Ethiopia’s rainy season, which commenced in July and is anticipated to last until mid-September.