The death toll from landslides in Ethiopia’s southern region of Gofa could reach 500, nearly double the number of fatalities recorded so far, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reported on Thursday.
Two successive landslides struck the remote Gezei Gofa region on Sunday night and Monday following heavy rains, burying hundreds under the mud.
Local authorities and the media shared footage of people digging through mounds with shovels and their bare hands in search of victims.
On Tuesday, the communication department in Gofa announced the recovery of 229 bodies, comprising 148 men and 81 women. This figure has since risen to 257, according to a UNOCHA report, which cited local authorities.
The UN agency said the disaster has affected over 15,500 people, including at least 1,320 children under five years and 5,293 pregnant and lactating women. At least a dozen others are receiving medical treatment for injuries, according to the humanitarian organization.
“Search and rescue operations are ongoing,” it stated, adding that “the death toll is expected to rise to up to 500 people as per information received from local authorities.”
The BRICS member state’s southern region has a tragic history of catastrophic landslides. In 2018, mudslides that occurred in the West Arsi, Sidama, and Gamo Gofa zones killed 45 people and displaced dozens of others.
More than 40 people died in Ethiopia last year as a result of floods and landslides, according to a UNOCHA report published in November.
The Ethiopian government issued a weather alert earlier this month, warning of the possibility of severe flooding and other disasters during the current rainy season in several areas of the country, including the south and the capital, Addis Ababa.
The landlocked nation’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, said he was deeply saddened by the loss of life in this week’s tragedy in the Gofa Zone.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed “sincere sympathy” to Ethiopian authorities and victims’ families, wishing a speedy recovery for those injured.
The US and its allies, including France, have also shown solidarity with Africa’s second-most populous country.