Kencho Shacha Gozdi, Ethiopia, July 25: At least 229 people have been confirmed dead following devastating mudslides triggered by heavy rainfall in south-western Ethiopia, marking the deadliest such disaster in the country’s history. The disaster struck the Kencho Shacha Gozdi district, with officials warning that the death toll may increase as rescue efforts continue.
The calamity unfolded on Monday morning, burying numerous rescue workers who were themselves searching for survivors from an earlier mudslide. The tragedy has left many people still missing, with the local community using shovels and their bare hands to search through the red soil for survivors.
Markos Melese, director of the disaster response agency in Gofa Zone, reported that among the victims were children found clinging to the bodies of their deceased family members. “There are children who are hugging corpses, having lost their entire family due to the accident,” he said.
Images shared on social media by Gofa Zone authorities depicted locals standing on the affected terrain, tirelessly digging through the mud in a desperate bid to locate any remaining survivors.
In response to the disaster, Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union Commission, expressed solidarity with the Ethiopian people. “Our hearts and prayers are with the families of the victims,” Mahamat stated. “We stand in strong solidarity with the people and Government of Ethiopia as rescue efforts continue.”
The Gofa Zone, known for its mountainous terrain, has been severely impacted by seasonal rains. The rains, which typically occur between April and May, have already caused significant flooding, infrastructure damage, and displacement of over a thousand people, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
This tragedy follows a similar, though smaller-scale, disaster in 2016 in Wolaita, southern Ethiopia, where 41 people lost their lives to a mudslide after torrential rains. The current events underscore the increasing vulnerability of Ethiopia and the broader eastern African region to climate-related disasters. Last November, unusually heavy rains in southern and eastern Ethiopia resulted in dozens of deaths and the displacement of hundreds of thousands.
As Ethiopia grapples with the aftermath of this catastrophic event, the nation and international community face a critical challenge in responding to and mitigating the impacts of such devastating climate crises.