Ethiopia landslide death toll rises to 257, could reach 500: UN
- Most of the victims were buried when they rushed to help after the first landslide, which followed heavy rains on Sunday in the area
![A woman is comforted by relatives and friends while residents and volunteers leave for the night after digging in the mud in search for survivors and bodies at the scene of a landslide in Ethiopia. Photo: AFP](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/canvas/2024/07/25/32c5f03a-d954-4b30-b8ea-ae9e05f27bc8_fa02aa5b.jpg?itok=MXA75SoD&v=1721906867)
Rescuers are pressing on with the grim search for bodies and survivors in the stricken locality of Kencho Shacha Gozdi, with crowds of distraught locals digging through a sea of mud often using just their bare hands and shovels.
“The death toll has risen to 257,” as of July 24, the UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA said in statement citing local authorities. “The death toll is expected to rise to up to 500 people.”
OCHA said more than 15,000 people need to be evacuated because of the high risk of further landslides, including at least 1,320 children under the age of five and 5,293 pregnant women or new mothers.
![Residents and volunteers dig in the mud in search for survivors. Photo: AFP Residents and volunteers dig in the mud in search for survivors. Photo: AFP](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/07/25/b435fa03-1ba7-4c93-9a9f-5dbb4f0bfba1_aeeec48b.jpg)
Aid has begun arriving in the isolated, hard-to-reach area, including four trucks of life-saving supplies from the Ethiopian Red Cross Society, it said.
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