Ethiopia declares three-day mourning as landslide kills 250

• Published On: 26 July 2024 at 16:49

Ethiopia declared three days of mourning on Friday following a tragic landslip in a remote southern region of the country that killed over 250 people.

Rescuers are still searching for victims in the tiny village of Kencho Shacha Gozdi, as distraught survivors bury those killed in the disaster, which was the deadliest landslip on record in the Horn of Africa nation.

The UN humanitarian organisation OCHA stated on Thursday, citing local officials, that 257 people have perished and that the number might rise to 500.

"The House of Peoples' Representatives has announced a three-day national mourning for the people who lost their lives in the landslip accident," Ethiopia's parliament said, adding that it would begin Saturday.

The month of commemoration will provide "comfort to their relatives and all the people of our country," according to the statement released by the state-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation.

The Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission announced early Friday that humanitarian aid and rehabilitation were "well underway" in the region.

It stated that a "structure for emergency disaster response coordination and integration" had been built, with an estimated 6,000 individuals needing to be relocated.

According to OCHA, more than 15,000 people, including young children and thousands of pregnant or new mothers, must be evacuated due to the possibility of more landslides.

Aid had begun to arrive, it reported, including four trucks from the Ethiopian Red Cross Society.

Officials claimed the majority of the deceased were buried when they hurried to help following the first landslip, which occurred after heavy rains on Sunday in the location around 480 kilometres (300 miles) from Addis Ababa.

International condolences have poured in, notably from the African Union, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and World Health.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the organization's chief executive, is Ethiopian.

Africa's second most populous country is frequently hit by climate-related calamities, and over 21 million people, or roughly 18 percent of the population, rely on humanitarian help as a result of conflict, flooding, or drought.