Search teams continued their efforts on Friday at the site of the deadly mudslides in southern Ethiopia, where the death toll has risen to 257, according to the U.N. humanitarian office.
The mudslides, triggered by heavy rain, occurred on Sunday and Monday in a remote area of the country.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) indicated in a Thursday update that the death toll could potentially reach 500, based on information from local officials.
The office also reported that over 15,000 people in the area required evacuation.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is scheduled to visit the affected region on Friday. He expressed deep sorrow earlier this week, stating he was “deeply saddened by this terrible loss.”
Images from the scene depict residents standing over the bodies of mudslide victims as they are retrieved from the earth. Rescue workers have been using hand shovels to sift through the mud.
Many victims were buried in the Gofa Zone of the Kencho Shacha Gozdi district on Monday, with rescue efforts ongoing in the steep terrain from the previous day’s mudslides.
Landslides are a common occurrence during Ethiopia’s rainy season, which began in July and is expected to continue until mid-September. Such deadly mudslides also frequently affect the broader East African region, including Uganda’s mountainous areas and central Kenya’s highlands.
In April, a landslide and flash floods in Kenya’s Rift Valley region resulted in at least 45 deaths and disrupted a major road.
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