Southern Ethiopia is facing a worsening humanitarian emergency after catastrophic landslides and flash floods triggered by unusually heavy rainfall killed dozens of people and left more than a hundred missing according to regional authorities.
Officials in the Gamo Zone confirmed that at least sixty four people died after saturated hillsides collapsed in several communities burying homes and residents beneath thick layers of mud and debris. The hardest hit areas include the districts of Gacho Baba Kamba and Bonke.
Local disaster management officials say approximately one hundred twenty eight people remain missing raising fears that the death toll could rise significantly as search operations continue.
Many victims were found buried beneath deep layers of mud after highland slopes gave way following days of intense rainfall. Emergency responders are struggling to reach several affected villages as landslides and floodwaters destroyed roads and bridges across the region.
Despite the difficult conditions rescue teams managed a rare moment of hope when one survivor was pulled alive from the mud during search operations.
Severe flooding has also struck the nearby city of Arba Minch after the Kulfo River and Sego River overflowed following heavy rains.
Authorities say the floods have damaged homes public infrastructure and farmland across several low lying districts surrounding the city. Transportation networks have been particularly affected with landslides cutting off major roads and isolating communities that urgently need food medical supplies and shelter.
Regional authorities have issued a high alert as meteorologists warn that seasonal rains are expected to continue in the coming weeks.
Residents in mountainous and landslide prone areas have been urged to move immediately to higher ground.
The disaster comes amid a broader pattern of extreme weather affecting East Africa.
In neighboring Kenya recent floods have killed at least forty three people and displaced more than fifty thousand residents according to local authorities.
Scientists say the events highlight the growing frequency of climate related disasters across the region.
A similar tragedy occurred two years earlier when massive landslides in the Gofa area killed more than two hundred fifty people one of the deadliest natural disasters in Ethiopia’s recent history.
With rains expected to persist humanitarian agencies warn that additional floods and landslides remain a serious risk particularly in mountainous and densely populated parts of southern Ethiopia.
