Frantic digging at scene of deadly Ethiopia landslides
At the scene of Ethiopia’s deadliest landslides, men are still digging through mounds of mud with their bare hands, spades and pick axes to find those missing – their efforts punctuated by the wails of women and children mourning the 229 people whose bodies have so far been found.
They are victims of a cruel act of nature: on Sunday, heavy rains caused a landslide in a village perched high on a mountain in the remote Gofa zone.
With four homes engulfed by the landslide, nearby villagers and police officers came in large numbers to dig through the mud in the hope of finding the occupants alive, while women and children looked on, praying and consoling each other.
The search continued on Monday, only for a second landslide to occur, burying hundreds of people – no-one knows exactly how many – under the mud.
When I arrived in Gofa, in the south-west of Ethiopia, late on Wednesday, between 100 and 200 mostly young men, were still digging as relatives sat nearby, hoping for the best.
The diggers had no earth-moving equipment – nothing has been flown in so far and it is impossible to bring it in as there is no road leading to the village.
There is only a narrow and now-muddy footpath along a cliff. It is a dangerous and steep climb up – and the walk down is also dangerous.
When a body has been found families have been forced to carry their relative down this footpath for a formal burial.
Sombre-looking men have been building tombs over graves, while women and children in these farming communities have not stopped weeping.
Disaster relief officials have been quoted as saying that drones are being used in the search-and-rescue operations.
One man I spoke to said he spotted them on Tuesday, but he has not seen any since.
For the villagers, there is only one option: to keep digging with spades, pick axes and their bare hands in the hope of finding their loved ones – alive.
Fortunately, the weather held up on Wednesday, making it easier.
—BBC
