Climate News

Landslides in southern Ethiopia kill at least 64, with more than 120 people missing

Landslides and floods after a week of heavy rain have struck Gamo Zone in southern Ethiopia. AP, in a report carried by India's ETV Bharat on 12 March, said at least 50 people had died and 125 were missing across three districts: Gacho Baba, Kamba and Bonke. Gacho Baba's communication chief Abebe Agena said most of the dead were found buried in mud, and Gamo Zone disaster response director Mesfin Manuqa said one person was pulled out alive.

Later the same day, Al Jazeera reported that police had found at least 64 bodies and that 128 people were missing, according to a statement from the South Ethiopia Regional State Police Commission. It was not yet clear how many households were affected.

"I am calling on communities living in the highlands and flood-prone areas to take the necessary precautions." — Tilahun Kebede, president of the South Ethiopia Regional State, via Al Jazeera

How each outlet framed it

• ETV Bharat — AP's first account from the Addis Ababa dateline, noting that mudslides and floods are common in Ethiopia's rainy season.
• Al Jazeera — the higher toll and the wider picture: flooding across East Africa, including dozens killed in neighbouring Kenya, and scientists' view that human-driven climate change makes extreme downpours more likely and more severe.

Where the numbers differ: both recalled a July 2024 mudslide in southern Ethiopia, but AP put its toll at 229, while Al Jazeera said more than 250 people died.