A landslide in South Ethiopia killed at least 13 people after heavy rains

A significant landslide is predicted, thus more than 300 residents in South Ethiopia’s Kindo Didaye area have been evacuated.

In the Wolaita area of southern Ethiopia, strong rains have caused a landslide that has claimed at least 13 lives, and more deaths are expected, according to a local official’s Monday report.

Over 300 people have been evacuated from the Kindo Didaye district, according to Wolaita zone head administrator Samuel Fola. The exact number of missing individuals is yet unknown.

Fola stated, “Among the deceased are children.” “As a precaution and in case of a significant landslide, we have evacuated over 300 people.”

Wolaita is now experiencing a rigorous rescue attempt, as reported by the regional administration.

The landslide that happened on Monday wasn’t as bad as the one that happened in another part of southern Ethiopia last month, which left over 200 people dead.

Ethiopia’s rainy season, which started in July and is predicted to extend until mid-September, is a time when landslides happen often.

Due to their poor infrastructure, Wolaita’s hilly regions are especially vulnerable to these kinds of accidents.

The same location saw a disastrous mudslide in 2016 that left hundreds of people evacuated and over 41 dead.

Over 229 people lost their lives in a significant mudslide that occurred in the nearby Gamo Gofa area last month; the United Nations Office for Human Rights (OCHA) estimates that the death toll might as high as 500.

In the wider East African area, from Kenya’s central highlands to Uganda’s eastern mountains, deadly mudslides are a regular occurrence. At least 45 people were killed in April in Kenya’s Rift Valley by flash floods and a landslide that also damaged buildings and blocked a key route.