Ethiopia declares 3 days of mourning after landslides in the south kill 80 people

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ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia on Tuesday declared three days of mourning as the death toll from this week's landslides in the country's south climbed to 80.

Speaker of the House of Peoples’ Representatives Tagesse Chafo said the three days of mourning would begin Saturday.

At least 80 bodies have been recovered from the Gamo Zone area in southern Ethiopia where landslides triggered by heavy rains killed dozens of residents.

Many other people remained missing since the tragedy struck the Gamo Zone area on Tuesday, officials said. Search and recovery efforts have taken place for days and have been hampered by heavy rain still pounding the area.

Regional government communications head Hailemariam Tesfaye said that the search for remaining victims was intensified.

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission on Friday said that 3,461 people were displaced by the landslides.

The Government Communication Service said Thursday the government is mobilizing resources in coordination with regional authorities.

Donations from private citizens and business organizations are flowing into a fund announced by the regional government to provide relief items to those affected.

Heavy rains have pounded countries in East Africa, and in neighboring Kenya the death toll from Saturday’s flash floods rose to 62.

The region is expected to see more rain given the rainy season and governments have urged residents to exercise caution.

Last month, the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre said the March–April–May rainy season has a 45% chance of above-average rainfall across most countries in the region, including Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Northern Somalia, and Djibouti.