Landslide at Ethiopian monastery kills 14 as search for missing continues

At least 14 people were killed and seven others injured after a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall struck a monastery in Ethiopia's Amhara region on August 3, with an unknown number of people still missing as search and rescue operations continue.

The landslide occurred at Tsadqane Debre Mitmaq St. Mary Monastery, where hundreds of worshippers had gathered for a holy water cleansing ritual, a religious practice widely observed by people seeking spiritual healing for chronic illnesses.

“The disaster occurred at approximately 7 a.m., and many of those who died had gathered to receive the holy water,” Megabe Hadis Neka Tibeb Ababu, the diocese’s general manager, told The Associated Press.

He said rescue teams believe an unknown number of people remain trapped beneath the debris.

“Of the dead, 11 have already been buried at the monastery, while the remains of the others were sent to their hometowns,” he said, adding that it remained difficult to identify some of the victims.

Those seriously injured were transported to Debre Birhan, the capital of the North Shewa Administrative Zone, about 70 kilometres from the monastery.

According to local authorities, the landslide occurred near a mountainside, where large rocks broke loose and crashed onto worshippers, compounding the impact of the disaster.

A team of specialists from the local disaster prevention office has been deployed to assist with search and rescue efforts, the local administration's communications office said.

Heavy rainfall during Ethiopia's annual Kiremt rainy season, which typically lasts from June to September, has made landslides and flash flooding increasingly common across the country.

In July 2024, a rain-triggered mudslide killed at least 257 people in southern Ethiopia. Earlier this year, another landslide in the Gamo area of southern Ethiopia claimed more than 100 lives.

Ethiopia has experienced an increasing number of extreme weather events linked to climate change. Limited infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, has left many communities vulnerable to floods, landslides and recurrent droughts, while constraining emergency response efforts.

By Sabina Mammadli