The search for individuals trapped by landslides in southern Ethiopia is ongoing, with rescuers using shovels and their hands to sift through the mud. Concerns are rising that the death toll, currently at 229, could increase further.
Emergency teams are deploying drones to search for potential survivors in the remote mountainous region of Gofa zone, as reported by an official to AFP news agency.
The UN’s humanitarian office in Ethiopia (Ocha) informed the BBC that heavy rains triggered a landslide on Sunday evening, followed by a second landslide on Monday morning that buried those attempting to help. A third landslide occurred on Tuesday.
Paul Handley from Ocha expressed concerns about the stability of the slope due to ongoing rain and emphasized the need to evacuate 10,000 residents to ensure their safety.
Challenges in accessing the area with heavy earth-moving equipment are exacerbated by poor road conditions, according to the BBC’s Newsday programme.
Gofa is located in Southern Ethiopia, approximately 320 km (199 miles) southwest of the capital, Addis Ababa.
The government has dispatched a disaster response team to assist with search and recovery operations. At least 12 individuals who were rescued are currently receiving medical treatment in hospitals.
“The devastation is huge and beyond our capacity. The area is now uninhabitable,” Markos Melese, head of the National Disaster Response agency in Gofa zone, told the Reuters news agency.
Aid agencies have been delivering critical supplies, including food, medicine and water to the area.
The search for survivors continues, with drones aiding the effort, according to Firaol Bekele from the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission, who spoke to AFP on Wednesday.
Southern Ethiopia has been experiencing particularly heavy rain and flooding in recent months, as noted by Ocha.
However, landslides and floods have been an issue for a longer period. In May 2016, heavy rain caused floods and landslides that resulted in the deaths of at least 50 people in the southern part of the country.
Ocha says $3bn (£2.3bn) is needed for Ethiopia to help those affected by El Niño over the last year – which has brought drought and flooding – as well as conflict, but the drive had been “woefully underfunded”.
“With the extremes of rain coming we also expect more of these kinds of emergencies to continue,” Mr Handley said.