ALBAWABA - Ethiopian local officials stated that at least 146 people were killed in heavy rains that swept the southern Ethiopian provinces.
"The number of dead from the sudden landslide that happened in Geze-Gofa district of Gofa zone has passed 146," the Gofa zone Communications Affairs Department reported, citing Habtamu Fetena, a local official.
Fetena released a statement warning that the situation might be worsening, and the death toll will likely increase.
Habtamu stated that the remains of 96 men and 50 women had been discovered, adding that the search was "continuing vigorously" and warned that the number of deaths might rise.
On Monday, Fana Broadcasting Corporate, a state-affiliated media organization, uploaded images on Facebook of hundreds of people amid a horrific picture of collapsed red earth.
Photographs showed individuals digging into the soil with their bare hands in search of survivors.
According to the UN's humanitarian response organization OCHA, the South Ethiopia regional state has been hammered by brief seasonal rains from April to early May, causing floods and widespread displacement.
