Mudslides in Ethiopia have killed at least 229. It’s not clear how many people are still missing
PBS NewsHourJUL 14 2024
At least 229 people have died after two landslides, triggered by heavy rains, occurred in quick succession in southern Ethiopia.
A landslide buried people in the Kencho Shacha Gozdi district of southern Ethiopia on Sunday evening, while a second trapped people who reached the area to rescue survivors on Monday morning.
Footage of the scene showed people digging up the mud using bare hands and shovels to retrieve the deceased.
Southern Ethiopia is prone to landslides because it's primarily a rural and mountainous region battered by malnutrition, a lack of clean water, disease outbreaks, economic hardships, and armed conflict. The country needs urgent funding to respond to natural or man-made disasters beyond its control.
Though this disaster occurred due to heavy rains, it will reoccur if Ethiopia doesn't address its root cause — global warming and climate change, which make extreme rainfall more likely. It's crucial for the government to take action and make steep cuts to emissions to avoid another catastrophe.