Relief efforts were in full swing on July 23 to provide aid to a remote area in southern Ethiopia where a devastating landslide has claimed the lives of over 200 people, marking the deadliest disaster of its kind in the country.
Residents gathered at the scene of the tragedy in a secluded mountainous region of the South Ethiopia regional state, using whatever tools they had at their disposal to search for victims and survivors buried under the red soil, as depicted in images shared by the local authorities.
This grab made from a handout footage released by the Gofa Zone Government Communication Affairs Department on July 22, 2024, shows people looking for victims at the bottom of a landslide that occurred in the Geze-Gofa district.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
According to the local Communications Affairs Department, a total of 148 men and 81 women have been confirmed dead following the devastating incident that occurred in the Kencho-Shacha locality in the Gofa Zone.
Social media posts by the Gofa authority showcased residents carrying bodies on makeshift stretchers, some wrapped in plastic sheets.
Five survivors were rescued from the debris and were receiving medical attention at healthcare facilities, as reported by the government-owned Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation.
Local administrator Dagemawi Ayele mentioned that many of the victims were buried while attempting to aid fellow residents affected by an initial landslide triggered by heavy rainfall.
The UN’s humanitarian response agency OCHA stated that over 14,000 individuals have been impacted in the hard-to-reach area, located approximately 450 km from Addis Ababa.
While the local community has been providing significant assistance to those affected, federal and regional authorities, along with local partners, have dispatched initial relief supplies, including four trucks of aid from the Ethiopian Red Cross for 500 households.
OCHA affirmed that agencies are prepared to deliver essential supplies like food, medical items, and sanitation support, while also evaluating the extent of the disaster’s impact on displacement and livelihoods.
Ethiopia, with a population of around 120 million, faces heightened vulnerability to climate-related disasters such as flooding and drought.
Leaders Express Grief
“I am deeply saddened by this terrible loss,” stated Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. “The Federal Disaster Prevention Task Force has been deployed to the area to mitigate the disaster’s effects.”
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a native Ethiopian, extended condolences and announced the deployment of a WHO team to address immediate health needs.
African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat also expressed solidarity with the victims’ families.
‘Landslide Engulfed Them’
Firaol Bekele, early warning director at the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission (EDRMC), disclosed that residents mobilized to rescue individuals after four households were initially impacted by the mudslide.
“Unfortunately, they too succumbed when the landslide struck,” Bekele mentioned, adding that the commission had dispatched an emergency team along with aid for the affected community.
Bekele emphasized the necessity for a thorough assessment and scientific investigation into the landslide’s cause, advocating for a holistic solution to permanently address the risk, potentially involving the relocation of the population.
History of Tragedy
OCHA highlighted a previous landslide in May in the same area, resulting in over 50 fatalities.
The region experienced flooding and displacement due to seasonal rains between April and early May, causing damage to infrastructure and livelihoods.
One Ethiopian refugee residing in Kenya, hailing from a nearby district, remarked, “This isn’t the first time such a disaster has occurred. Almost every rainy season, people lose their lives to landslides and heavy rains in that area.”
In a separate incident in 2017, 113 individuals lost their lives when a garbage dump collapsed on the outskirts of Addis Ababa.
The deadliest landslide in Africa occurred in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in August 2017, claiming the lives of 1,141 people.
In February 2010, mudslides in Uganda’s Mount Elgon region resulted in the deaths of over 350 individuals.
