ADDIS ABABA, July 25 (Reuters) – The death toll from landslides in Ethiopia earlier this week has climbed to 257 and is expected to nearly double, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) on Thursday.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Heavy rains triggered a landslide in the Gofa Zone of southern Ethiopia on Sunday night, followed by a second one on Monday that buried rescue workers.
“The death toll is expected to rise to up to 500 people as per information received from local authorities,” UNOCHA reported.
On Tuesday, Ethiopia’s National Disaster Risk Management Commission had reported 229 deaths.
Dagmawi Ayele, an administrator for the Gofa Zone, said rescuers have so far recovered 226 bodies, which were buried after a funeral ceremony, and are searching for 20 more.
“It is too dangerous to approach the site,” he said, noting that the rains continued on Thursday.
