At least 146 people have died in mudslides in a remote part of Ethiopia, which has been hit with heavy rainfall.
Young children and pregnant women were among the victims in the Kencho Shacha Gozdi district in the Gofa Zone of southern Ethiopia, according to a local administrator.
The death toll rose as search operations continued in the area, said Kassahun Abayneh, head of communications office in Gofa Zone, the area where the mudslides occurred.
Most of the victims were buried in a mudslide on Monday morning as rescue workers searched the steep terrain for survivors of another mudslide the previous day.
At least five people have been pulled alive from the mud, Ayele said.
“There are children who are hugging corpses, having lost their entire family, including mother, father, brother and sister, due to the accident,” he said.
Landslides are common during Ethiopia's rainy season, which started in July and is expected to last until mid-September.
