Ethiopian officials announced Tuesday that the nation will observe three days of mourning as recovery teams continue pulling bodies from deadly landslides that struck the country’s southern region this week.
Tagesse Chafo, Speaker of the House of Peoples’ Representatives, confirmed the mourning period will commence on Saturday.
Recovery crews have retrieved at least 80 bodies from the Gamo Zone region in southern Ethiopia, where torrential rainfall triggered the devastating landslides that buried residents.
Numerous individuals remain unaccounted for following Tuesday’s disaster, according to government officials. Ongoing search and rescue operations have faced significant challenges due to continued heavy precipitation in the affected area.
Hailemariam Tesfaye, the regional government’s communications director, reported that efforts to locate additional victims have been stepped up.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission reported Friday that 3,461 individuals have been forced from their homes due to the landslides.
Government officials announced Thursday that federal authorities are coordinating with regional leaders to deploy necessary resources to the disaster zone.
A relief fund established by regional authorities is receiving contributions from individual donors and business organizations to provide assistance to those impacted by the tragedy.
The disaster comes as intense rainfall continues battering East African nations, with neighboring Kenya reporting 62 fatalities from weekend flash flooding.
Meteorologists predict additional precipitation during the ongoing rainy season, prompting government warnings for residents to remain vigilant.
The IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre forecasted last month that the March-April-May rainy season carries a 45% probability of above-normal rainfall throughout much of the region, affecting Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Northern Somalia, and Djibouti.
