Ethiopia is plagued by landslides

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Local authorities confirmed that the first landslide occurred earlier this week in the Gofa area. A huge amount of soil buried several dozen residents here. A few minutes later the situation became even more dramatic as another landslide overwhelmed many of those searching for survivors from the first landslide.

After two days of searching in the Kencho-Schacha locality the number of victims rose to 229. Rescue and search operations will continue in the following days as assured by the representative of the southern regional state.

It is certain that the second landslide claimed the most lives. It is almost impossible to find survivors in tons of earth without the appropriate equipment so only five people were saved. The Gofa area is located at a distance of three hundred and twenty kilometers from the capital Addis Ababa and is a frequent scene of flash floods or landslides.

A member of parliament also commented on the whole situation and assured the citizens that all those affected will receive appropriate help. They will be provided with temporary shelter food and water.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs notes that Ethiopia was hit by seasonal downpours at the turn of April and May. Local floods then triggered the displacement of several thousand residents. Almost twenty thousand residents were affected during the May floods, whose homes were destroyed by the water.