At least 10 people lost their lives after a landslide caused by heavy rainfall hit the Gamo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR) in southern Ethiopia on May 28, 2020. Since the beginning of the rainy season, floods and landslides have affected more than 470 000 people across the country.
A two-story house was buried under the mud on May 28, causing at least 10 fatalities, authorities confirmed, adding that several other homes in the area were damaged.
The search and rescue operations are being hampered by heavy rains, with fears that the death toll may increase.
Floods and landslides are affecting wide swaths of the country since late April.
On May 25, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that seasonal flooding has so far affected 470 163 people, of whom around 301 284 people are displaced in Somali, Oromia, Afar, SNP, Harari, and Dire Dawa.
The situation is particularly bad in the Somali region, where most of the displaced are located.
#Ethiopia: close to 470,163 people are affected and 301,284 people are displaced by floods across the country. In addition, there is a high risk of spreading #COVID19 virus, #cholera outbreak & other water-borne diseases following flood incidents... https://t.co/HJeJQZ9vBz pic.twitter.com/DBhZG1FeAe
— Addis Standard (@addisstandard) May 22, 2020
The EU has announced €3 million in emergency funding to Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia & Somalia after heavy rainfall over the past weeks has triggered devastating landslides and floods. This EU aid will support aid organisations to get essentials to those most in need pic.twitter.com/yt0paomaV0
— EU Humanitarian Aid | Central East Southern Africa (@ECHO_CESAfrica) May 29, 2020
While fighting Coronavirus, UNHCR & partners are also trying
— UNHCR Ethiopia (@UNHCREthiopia) May 22, 2020
to mitigate adverse environmental impacts in the refugee camps by sensitizing refugees on risks posed by natural disasters such as storms, floods, wind and landslides, some of which are recurrent in the camps pic.twitter.com/is7EbSCTU6
#Ethiopia:10 people were killed in a landslide yesterday in #Gamo zone, Gachobaba and Gatse & Gina kebelles in #SNNPRS, local police said. The mountainous topography has made rescue efforts difficult & only 4 of the 10 bodies were recovered as of y'day https://t.co/glVSKdWKhr pic.twitter.com/AnXNZGsopA
— Addis Standard (@addisstandard) May 29, 2020
Featured image credit: ECHO Central East Southern Africa
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