Landslide kills 23 people in Oromia, Ethiopia
Image credit: Deadly landslide hits Ethiopia's Oromia region on May 26, 2018
A landslide triggered by heavy rains killed 23 people in Ethiopia on Saturday, May 26, 2018. 6 others sustained severe injuries.
The slide took place on Saturday evening in Oromia region after hours of heavy rainfall. 16 of the fatalities were women.
Ethiopia is currently in its rainy season (June – August).
The country was recently hit by remnants of Tropical Storm "Sagar" which made landfall in Somalia on May 19, killing at least 19 people and leaving thousands affected.
The storm reached Ethiopia on May 20, with heavy rainfall and winds in the Northern part of Somali region. The ensuing flooding affected five woredas of Siti zone and reportedly displaced 9 000 households. The village of Dambal was nearly completely washed away, displacing 150 households.
The floods of the last weeks have affected 324 740 people in Somali region, according to the regional Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Bureau (DPPB). It is estimated that at least 347 000 people have been affected countrywide. The communities along the Shebelle river are particularly concerned, such as the town of Mustahil (around 8 000 inhabitants) which is completely inundated.
The floods have also led to large-scale displacement with 194 000 IDPs in Somali region, at least 15 000 in Oromia and 850 in Afar.
In May 2016, close to 50 people died in a similar landslide.
Update
May 29
Landslides caused by heavy rain killed at least 32 people in southern Ethiopia over the weekend.
9 people died in the Gamo Gofa zone and were 17 injured while 23 people died in a landslide in the Sidama zone and 6 were badly injured.
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
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