Heavy rains have triggered a disaster in the Gamo Zone, displacing thousands and damaging 190 homes

At least 70 people have died after landslides triggered by heavy rainfall struck parts of southern Ethiopia's Gamo Zone, local authorities said on Friday.

The deaths were reported across several districts, with Degame among the hardest hit. Search teams were continuing operations at the disaster site as authorities worked to recover bodies from the debris.

"Seventy people have died in an accident involving landslides that occurred in different districts of the Gamo zone," South Ethiopia Regional State authorities reported on Facebook.

The landslides also caused significant damage to 190 homes and property. Authorities said 575 families, representing about 3,480 people, had been forced to leave their homes.

The regional Water and Energy Bureau said it had provided emergency supplies worth about 2 million birr (around $13,000) to affected residents in the Gamo Zone. Emergency aid is also being delivered to displaced residents staying in temporary shelters, while officials are working on plans for their longer-term resettlement.

Many of those displaced are sheltering in churches and schools after landslides and flash floods struck several districts in the zone, according to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO). Writing on X, he said the WHO had activated an emergency task team and deployed rapid response teams to support local health authorities.

According to the BBC, citing local senior policeman, the death toll could be higher, with as many as 102 people reported killed.

Southern Ethiopia typically experiences seasonal rains beginning around March, which can trigger landslides and flooding in mountainous areas.

Landslides have recently wreaked havoc in other parts of Africa driven by heavy seasonal rains. In midJanuary, a landslide triggered by intense rainfall struck a village in the DR Congo, burying dozens of homes and killing at least 28 people, according to local reports.

(RT.com)