Landslide in Ethiopia: Number of dead exceeds 250
"The rescue efforts continue", it was stated on Wednesday, referring to local authorities in the northeastern region of Africa. Meanwhile, the first relief deliveries have arrived, including four trucks from the Ethiopian Red Cross.
The landslide occurred on Monday after heavy rainfall in the small community of Kencho Shacha Gozdi in the mountainous region of South Ethiopia. Residents and volunteers continued to search on Thursday with bare hands or shovels through the red mud for survivors.
The Ethiopian government is working together with regional and local authorities on an evacuation plan for over 15,000 people living near the disaster site, according to Ocha. The area must be evacuated immediately due to an increased risk of further landslides. Among the 15,000 affected are at least 1320 children and nearly 5300 pregnant women and new mothers.
The Ocha chief in Ethiopia, Paul Handley, told the BBC radio that transporting heavy machinery to the remote and mountainous area is a challenge due to the condition of the roads.
According to AFP journalists on site, the access road is not paved for dozens of kilometers. The disaster area is about 480 kilometers and more than ten hours by car from Addis Ababa.
On Sunday evening, there were strong and persistent rainfall in the area. On Monday morning, a landslide buried several houses, before another landslide buried many people who had come to help.
- The UN, expressing concern, has joined the rescue efforts in Ethiopia, providing additional support to the Red Cross.
- The sacrifice count in the Ethiopian Red Cross is high, with their volunteers working tirelessly in the aftermath of the landslide.
- The number of dead due to the landslide in Ethiopia is yet to be officially confirmed, but the scene suggests a considerable loss of life.
- The UN and OCHA are urging governments worldwide to provide aid and support to Ethiopia, considering the critical situation in the affected area.
- A two-hundred fifty-kilometer radius from the disaster site in South Ethiopia has been cordoned off by local authorities, keeping tourists and non-essential personnel away.
- The Ethiopian government, in collaboration with the UN and OCHA, appeals for international assistance to speed up the relief process and alleviate the suffering of the affected communities in Ethiopia.
