14 worshippers die in landslide at a monastery in Ethiopia
A landslide killed 14 people and injured 5 at a monastery in the northern Amhara region of Ethiopia, Africanews and agencies reported on August 4th.
In the early hours of August 3rd, in Sela Dingay, a town around 200 kilometres northeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, a mudslide carried rocks down a hill and buried part of Tsadkane Mariam Orthodox monastery.
The head of the diocese at the monastery, Megabe Hadis Neka Tibeb Ababu said the landslide happened “after very heavy overnight rainfall accompanied by lightning and thunder”. He added that three people were “severely injured” and are receiving treatment in “Debre Birhan Hospital but the death toll from the incident is “final”.
Local authorities also confirmed the deaths of 14 people on August 4th, citing the cause as a “sudden landslide” and an “earthquake”.
Climate related disasters often affect Ethiopia and its citizens. Floods and landslides hit the southern regions of the country in March 2024. Not long after, at least 257 people were killed in a landslide in the same regions in July 2024.
Ethiopia is currently dealing with heavy rainfall on top of its rainy seasons which occur from June to September. More than three quarters of the 130 million population of the country live in rural areas that are more vulnerable to natural disasters and the effects of climate change.
The extreme weather caused by climate change has led to rising hunger and poverty with droughts destroying crop harvests.
Ethiopia is expected to host the COP32 UN Climate Summit in 2027. As the economies of many African nations rely on sectors that depend on climate conditions, they are disproportionally affected by climate change. Africa’s role in advancing climate change solutions is expected to be a key focus of the summit.
Africanews plus agencies, Maghrebi.org
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