The death toll from landslides in Ethiopia earlier this week has risen to 257 and is expected to almost double, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) on Thursday.
Heavy rains triggered a landslide that buried people in the Gofa Zone of southern Ethiopia on Sunday night, followed by a second landslide on Monday that engulfed rescuers.
“The death toll is expected to rise to up to 500 people as per information received from local authorities,” UNOCHA reported.
On Tuesday, Ethiopia’s National Disaster Risk Management Commission reported a death toll of 229.
Dagmawi Ayele, an administrator for the Gofa Zone, said rescuers had so far recovered 226 bodies, which had been buried after a funeral ceremony, and were searching for 20 more.
“It is too dangerous to approach the site,” he said, adding that the rains were continuing on Thursday.
