Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Saturday visited a remote and mountainous village hit by the country’s deadliest landslide which killed over 250 people.
Officials are still trying to pinpoint how many people were killed when heavy rain on Sunday triggered a landslide that engulfed the the tiny locality of Kencho Shacha Gozdi, about 480 kilometres (300 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa.
At least 257 have perished, according to the latest toll from the UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA, which also warned that up to 500 might have died — with the number of missing unknown.
Abiy, who was accompanied by his wife and other leaders, planted a tree at the local cemetery, the south Ethiopia regional state office of the president said on social media.
Ethiopia is highly vulnerable to climate-related disasters.
Officials said most of the victims were buried when they rushed to help after the initial landslide which was followed by others.
Ethiopia’s parliament announced three days of mourning from Saturday.
South Ethiopia has been battered by the short seasonal rains between April and early May that have caused flooding and mass displacement, according to OCHA.
Africa’s second most populous nation is often afflicted by climate-related disasters and more than 21 million people, or about 18 percent of the population, rely on humanitarian aid as a result of conflict, flooding or drought.
