A desperate search for survivors continued on Wednesday following devastating landslides in a remote area of southern Ethiopia, where the death toll has reached 229 and thousands more have been affected. Rescue efforts, aided by drones, are ongoing in the hard-to-access locality of Kencho Shacha Gozdi, located hundreds of kilometers from the capital Addis Ababa.
The landslides, the deadliest such incident recorded in Ethiopia, have struck a region highly vulnerable to climate-related disasters. Local residents have been using shovels and their bare hands to search for victims and survivors amid the vast mounds of mud.
So far, 148 men and 81 women have been confirmed dead, while eight people have been pulled alive from the debris and transported to medical facilities. The number of missing individuals remains unknown, but officials anticipate releasing updated casualty figures later in the day.
The Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission (EDRMC) is coordinating rescue efforts, with drones operated by experts from the Information Network Security Administration (INSA) providing aerial support.
The government is addressing immediate needs for food, water, medicine, and shelter, recognizing that many of the victims were buried after rushing to assist others affected by an initial landslide on Sunday.
The UN’s humanitarian response agency, OCHA, reports that over 14,000 people have been affected by the disaster, including 125 displaced individuals. An urgent evacuation is needed for approximately 14,000 people, including 5,000 pregnant or lactating women and 1,300 children, due to the risk of further landslides.
The Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, expressed profound sadness over the loss of life and announced the deployment of the Federal Disaster Prevention Task Force to the affected area.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is sending a team to support immediate health needs, while the African Union Commission and the US embassy have also expressed their condolences and offered assistance.
Officials emphasize the need for a thorough investigation into the cause of the landslides, recognizing the area’s susceptibility to such disasters. They propose a comprehensive, scientific approach to permanently address the risk, potentially including population relocation.
This tragedy follows a similar, though smaller-scale, landslide in May in the same area that resulted in over 50 deaths. Ethiopia, the second most populous country in Africa, faces ongoing challenges from conflict and natural disasters like flooding and drought, with over 21 million people reliant on humanitarian aid.
