More than 200 dead in southern Ethiopia landslides

(CNN) — The death toll from two landslides in a remote region of southern Ethiopia on Monday has risen to 229, according to local authorities.

The communication affairs department of Gofa Zone said Tuesday that 148 males and 81 females had been killed.

A local official, Habtamu Fetena, had earlier told state-run broadcaster, the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) that children were among the dead and the death toll was likely to increase.

Officials said heavy rainfall had caused two landslides. Many people were buried in the first one; a second then claimed the lives of several people helping the rescue efforts, according to Reuters.

An administrator for the zone, Dagmawi Ayele, told the EBC that five people stuck in the mud were rescued and are being treated at a medical facility, adding that the local community was searching for more survivors.

Photos from the site showed a rescuer combing through the mud with his bare hands in search of bodies. Ayele said the excavation has largely been done by manpower.

Ethiopia is prone to landslides during the rainy season, according to geological surveys. In parts of the country, including the southern region, floods triggered by heavy rains have displaced thousands of people in recent months, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report last month.

At least 43 people died from floods and landslides last year, OCHA said in November.

Southern Ethiopia has previously suffered devastating landslides that killed and displaced dozens of people.

In May 2018, 45 people were killed in twin landslides that happened within hours of each other in the West Arsi, Sidama, and Gamo Gofa zones.

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