AMHARA
At least 14 people have been confirmed dead and seven others injured after a landslide struck a monastery in northern Ethiopia’s Amhara region during a religious ceremony attended by hundreds of worshippers.
The disaster occurred at about 7:00 a.m. on Monday, August 3, at Tsadqane Debre Mitmaq St Mary Monastery in North Shewa Zone, where pilgrims had gathered for a popular holy-water cleansing ritual believed to offer spiritual healing.
Reports indicate that heavy rainfall triggered the collapse of rocks and earth from a nearby mountain, burying worshippers as they took part in the ceremony.
The injured were rescued and rushed to nearby health facilities, with some of the critically wounded transferred to a hospital in Debre Birhan, about 70 kilometres from the monastery.
Rescue teams, assisted by local disaster management officials, continued combing through the debris on Tuesday in search of survivors, with an unknown number of people still reported missing.
Authorities warned that the death toll could increase as search and recovery operations continue.
The tragedy occurred during Ethiopia’s main rainy season, when heavy rainfall often causes floods and landslides, particularly in mountainous and hard-to-reach areas.
Deadly landslides are common in parts of Ethiopia during periods of intense rainfall, highlighting the vulnerability of communities living in steep and unstable terrain.
