At least 64 killed in Ethiopia floods and landslides

At least 64 people have been killed in southern Ethiopia following recent landslides and floods, the regional government’s communications office said on Thursday (12 March), citing local police

As many as 128 people have also been reported missing in the floods, according to Police Inspector Abraham Buhe.

He said 59 bodies had been found in Gacho Baba, the worst-affected district, while the remaining five were discovered in the neighbouring districts of Bonke and Kemba.

Authorities said the landslides were triggered after days of heavy rain in highland areas caused saturated slopes to give way.

In a statement on Facebook, the South Ethiopian Regional State said it was providing “necessary assistance to the affected people” and warned residents in impacted areas to take necessary precautions.

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"The regional government will work with [a] special focus to sustainably support the people who have been affected by the accident," the state’s president, Tilahun Kebede, said. 

A photograph posted on Facebook by the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation showed residents standing at the scene of a landslide, with parts of a nearby hillside stripped of vegetation and some people standing knee-deep in mud.

Heavy rainfall has battered parts of East Africa in recent days. Storms in the region are becoming more severe, partly due to climate change.

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