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© South Ethiopia Regional State Office Of The President
Flooding caused by heavy rains in the Gamo area of southern Ethiopia has left at least 48 people dead, police said on Wednesday.

"The number of bodies recovered from the natural disaster that struck three districts of Gamo Zone has reached 48," the South Ethiopia Regional State Police Commission said in a statement on X.

There were reports of 95 missing persons, and rescue operations were ongoing, it said. It was unclear whether this figure included the bodies already found.

There has been heavy flooding across east Africa in recent days.

Dozens were killed in neighbouring Kenya after torrential rain hit the capital Nairobi and other areas on Friday.

Multiple studies have tracked the increasing frequency of extreme wet and dry periods in east Africa in the last 20 years.

AFP


Update March 12

Anadolu Agency reports:
The death toll from a landslide in southern Ethiopia has risen to 102, regional officials said Thursday, after the disaster struck the Gamo Zone overnight on March 11.

The disaster hit Gacho Baba district in the Gamo Zone after days of heavy rainfall triggered a massive landslide in the area's highlands.

The Gamo Zone local communications office said that although 102 people are now believed dead, recovery teams have so far retrieved 52 bodies from thick mud and debris.