Efforts to find survivors of a devastating mudslide that has claimed at least 229 lives in southern Ethiopia began on Tuesday.
Local officials reported a significant increase in the death toll from the initial count of 55, noting that several fatalities occurred during rescue attempts. The disaster, triggered by heavy rainfall, struck the remote Kencho Shacha Gozdi district.
Dagmawi Ayele, a local administrator, confirmed that at least five individuals were rescued alive, among them children and expectant mothers. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed expressed his deepest sympathies for the tragic loss on Facebook and announced that the government disaster prevention task force had been activated to assist with search and rescue operations.
The exact number of missing individuals remains unknown. Many victims were buried on Monday as rescue workers navigated the challenging terrain in search of survivors from the initial mudslide.
