No fewer than 55 people were killed in a landslide in a remote area of southern Ethiopia on Monday, local authorities said, warning that the death toll could rise.
“More than 55 bodies have been found from the landslide,” a statement from the Gofa Zone Communications Affairs Department said, quoting local chief Dagmawi Zerihun, who warned “the death toll could yet increase.”.
Dagmawi said the incident occurred at 10 a.m. (0700 GMT) after heavy rains in the remote region.
He further stated that the hunt for survivors was “continuing vigorously.”
The area has previously experienced such terrible incidents, with at least 32 people killed in 2018 by two distinct landslides that occurred within a week of one another.
