At least 13 persons killed, over 300 evacuated after deadly landslide in Ethiopia

The regional government of Ethiopia’s Wolaita area, is making frantic effort to ensure the safety of people after a landslide triggered by heavy rains, killed at least 13 people.

The Zonal chief administrator of Wolaita, Samuel Fola, said more than 300 people have been evacuated from the area and the number of those unaccounted for, remains unknown.

According to him, Children are among the dead.

Mr. Fola also said more than 300 people have been evacuated as a precautionary measure, in anticipation of yet another likely major landslide.”

The landslide appeared to be less deadly than one that occurred last month in another area in southern Ethiopia where more than 200 people were killed.

Landslides are common during Ethiopia’s rainy season, which started in July and is expected to last until mid-September.

With little infrastructure, the mountainous areas of Wolaita have been prone to such accidents.

Deadly mudslides often occur in the wider East African region, from Uganda’s mountainous east to central Kenya’s highlands.

In April, at least 45 people were killed in Kenya’s Rift Valley region when flash floods and a landslide swept through houses and cut off a major road.