23 dead, 8 injured in landslide in northern Ethiopia
Residents dig to recover the dead bodies of victims of the landslide following heavy rains that buried people in Gofa zone, Southern Ethiopia on July 23, 2024. PHOTO: REUTERS
A landslide in the northern Gondar zone of Ethiopia's Amhara region has claimed the lives of 23 people and left eight others injured, local media reported Monday.
According to the state-owned Fana Broadcasting Corporation (FBC), the disaster displaced 2,700 people, destroyed 1,775 hectares of crops, and damaged 48 houses across 11 rural districts.
The Communication Department of the zone announced that a task force has been formed to provide assistance to those affected by the landslide.
This incident comes on the heels of another landslide on Aug. 24, 2024, in the Abna Kebele area of the Tselemti district in the North Western Tigray zone, where 10 people lost their lives and six remain missing.
Local authorities had been on alert following warnings from the Ethiopian Meteorology Institute about the increased risk of landslides due to anticipated heavy rainfall.
This rainy season has been devastating for various regions of the country, with landslides hitting multiple districts in both the north and south.
Last month, consecutive landslides in the Gofa zone of Ethiopia’s southern region claimed nearly 260 lives and displaced over 15,000 people.