United Nations, July 27 (UNI) The death toll from landslides in a remote region of southern Ethiopia has risen to 257, according to the United Nations, with the number potentially reaching up to 500, media sources said on Saturday.
Rescuers are continuing the search for bodies and survivors in Kencho Shacha Gozdi, where distraught crowds are digging through mud, often using just their bare hands and shovels, reports said.
According to MehrNews, Solomon Tsoma told AFP that 13 of his family members had died, including his uncle's seven children and his brother's infants. "We have recovered 12 bodies but haven't been able to find my sister's body," he said.
The UN humanitarian agency, OCHA, provided the updated toll of 257 dead, citing local authorities. "The death toll is expected to rise to up to 500 people," it added.
OCHA reported that more than 15,000 people need to be evacuated due to the risk of further landslides, including at least 1,320 children under the age of 5 and 5,293 pregnant women or new mothers, reports said.
Aid has begun arriving in the isolated area, including four trucks of supplies from the Ethiopian Red Cross Society, according to VOA.
The landslide is the deadliest on record in Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation, which is often battered by climate-related disasters.
Officials said most of the victims were buried when they rushed to help after the first landslide, which followed heavy rains on Sunday in the area roughly 480 kilometers (270 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa.
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