According to a government official on Tuesday, the number of fatalities from two landslides in southern Ethiopia has surged to 229 and may go up as rescue efforts continue into a second day.
After a period of intense rain, on Sunday night, a landslide in the Gofa zone of the Southern Ethiopian Regional State buried individuals, and on Monday morning, another one engulfed others who had assembled to assist.
“I’m not sure when it will end. The head of the National Disaster Response agency in the Gofa Zone, Markos Melese, told Reuters over the phone that “we are still recovering bodies.”
“We are still digging.”
Children and police officers were among the at least 50 persons who had passed away, according to an official statement on Monday.
