ARBA MINCH: The death toll from floods and landslides in southern Ethiopia’s Gamo Zone has risen to 70, according to official reports issued on Friday, as rescue teams and residents searched muddy slopes and riverbanks for victims after days of heavy rainfall. Authorities said more than 120 people were still unaccounted for in several districts, underscoring the scale of the disaster in a densely populated, mountainous area where homes and footpaths were swept away or buried.
The landslides and flooding struck multiple districts in the South Ethiopia Region after a week of intense rain loosened soil in highland areas and sent torrents through valleys. Local disaster-response officials said the worst-hit areas included Gacho Baba, Kamba and Bonke districts, where mud and debris engulfed homes and farmland. Many of those killed were found under thick layers of mud, officials said, while the full extent of damage to households and local infrastructure was still being assessed.
Regional police said Thursday that 64 bodies had been recovered and that 128 people were missing, figures based on reports from affected communities and early search operations. A local disaster-response director separately put the number of missing at 125. Officials said at least one person was pulled alive from the mud during a rescue effort, while access to some locations remained difficult because roads were blocked and transport routes were disrupted by debris.
Emergency response and aid
The federal Government Communication Service said senior federal and regional officials were deployed to oversee emergency operations and coordinate assistance in the affected districts. Authorities said relief efforts focused on search operations, medical support for survivors, and the provision of food and basic supplies for families displaced by the flooding and landslides. Local administrators also reported using heavy machinery to clear mud-clogged roads so emergency teams could reach hillside communities that had been cut off.
South Ethiopia’s regional leadership issued condolences for those killed and called on residents in vulnerable areas to move to higher ground as rainfall continued in parts of the zone. Officials said the disaster had forced families to leave homes in steep or flood-prone locations, with temporary shelter arrangements being organized in safer areas. Local offices said community members joined responders in digging through mud and debris, and in helping to transport the injured to health facilities.
A deadly pattern in the highlands
Landslides and flash floods are a recurrent hazard in Ethiopia during periods of heavy rain, particularly in steep highland terrain where saturated soil can fail suddenly. Disaster officials said the Gamo Zone’s rugged landscape and scattered settlements complicate rescue operations when access roads collapse or are covered by mud. In July 2024, a major mudslide in southern Ethiopia killed hundreds of people, highlighting longstanding risks in the region during the rainy season.
Officials said the latest disaster affected four districts and left extensive physical damage alongside the human toll, with debris blocking routes used for daily travel and for moving goods to market. Rescue and recovery operations continued as authorities worked to verify lists of the missing and to deliver aid to isolated communities, while updated casualty figures were compiled from district reports and field teams – By Content Syndication Services.