Ethiopia: UN Expects Death Toll from Gofa Landslide to Rise up to 500, 257 Bodies Retrieved so Far

The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that the death toll from the landslide that struck the Gofa zone in South Ethiopia region has reached 257 as of Thursday, 24 July 2024…According to the office, search and rescue operations are still ongoing under the leadership of local authorities with the support from the Ethiopian Red Cross Society and community members – mainly digging through mounds of mud with their bare hands and spades for lack of other options, and local officials expect the death toll to rise to up to 500 people. In its second flash update report since the incident on Monday this week, the UNOCHA said more than 15,000 people, including at least 1,320 children under 5 years of age and 5,293 pregnant and lactating women, are at high risk of further landslides and need to be evacuated to safe zones immediately. (Addis Standard)