Death toll from Ethiopia landslides rises to 257, UN says

Death toll from Ethiopia landslides rises to 257, UN says

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the number is expected to rise to 500.

The death toll from landslides in Ethiopia earlier this week has risen to 257, and is expected to rise to 500, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Thursday.

On Tuesday, Ethiopia's National Disaster Risk Management Commission put the death toll at 229.

Following heavy rain a landslide buried people in Gofa zone in Southern Ethiopia regional state on Sunday night, then a second one engulfed others who had gathered to help on Monday morning.

The deadly landslide occurred on Monday morning around 10:00 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) in southern Ethiopia's Geze Gofa district, state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporation reported.

Ethiopia is in the midst of a rainy season, which started in July and is expected to last until mid-September.

Constant rains occasionally cause landslides in some parts of the East African country.

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