The death toll from two landslides in southern Ethiopia rose to at least 229, a local official in the remote Gofa Zone said on Tuesday, as the search for survivors continued into the second day. The landslides occurred on Sunday evening and Monday morning in a remote mountainous region after heavy rains. Hundreds of people gather at the site of a mudslide in the Kencho Shacha Gozdi district, Gofa Zone, southern Ethiopia, Monday, July 22, 2024. Accept Manage my choicesGofa is located in the South Ethiopia regional state, roughly 450 kilometres (270 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa, though the distance takes around 10 hours to drive. In 2016, 41 people were killed in a landslide following heavy rains in Wolaita, also in South Ethiopia.

The Four Tops' Abdul 'Duke' Fakir dead at 88Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the last surviving member of beloved Motown group The Four Tops, has passed away at the age of 88. He died at his home in Detroit from heart failure, his family confirmed on Monday. The Four Tops became one of the best-known bands of the Motown era after forming in the late 1950s. The group is known for classic hits such as Reach Out I'll Be There, Baby I Need Your Loving and I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch). “As the last living founding member of the iconic The Four Tops music group, we find solace in Duke’s legacy living on through his music for generations to come.”

ADDIS ABABA, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a landslide in southern Ethiopia has risen to 229 as rescue operations are currently underway, local government officials said on Tuesday. Additional accidents that occurred Monday morning eventually buried an unknown number of local community members who had gathered at the scene for rescue efforts. Local officials also said the death toll is likely to rise as more and more dead bodies are being recovered buried under the mud. The deadly landslide occurred as Ethiopia is in the midst of a rainy season, which started in July and is expected to last until mid-September. As part of rescue efforts, the Ethiopian Red Cross Association and professionals from neighboring regions and zones are currently at the site, helping the victims.

People search for survivors after a landslide in the Geze-Gofa district in southern Ethiopia. AFPPeople search for survivors after a landslide in the Geze-Gofa district in southern Ethiopia.

Local authorities showed crowds of locals at the site of the tragedy after the landslide in the isolated Geze-Gofa district of southern Ethiopia

TV BRICS is strengthening information collaboration with the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, which joined BRICS in 2024. Ethiopian News Agency (ENA), the news agency of the Ethiopian government, is starting its work with the media network. In the presence of the two countries' diplomats, the respective document was signed by CEO of TV BRICS Janna Tolstikova and ENA CEO Seife Deribe Endale. Evgeniy Terekhin, Russian Ambassador to Ethiopia, also expressed confidence that ENA and TV BRICS would work in the interests of all BRICS member states. TV BRICS, in partnership with the Durban University of Technology (South Africa) and the South African BRICS Youth Association (SABYA), provides media support for the Africa BRICS Youth Forum and the World Festival of African Arts and Culture.

Gofa Zone Government Communication Affairs Department/ ESN/ AFPADDIS ABABA — The death toll from two landslides in southern Ethiopia has risen sharply to 157 and could increase further, a government official said on Tuesday. A landslide buried people in Gofa zone in Southern Ethiopia regional state, then a second one engulfed others who had gathered to help on Monday morning. The area is very challenging," Markos Melese, head of the National Disaster Response agency in Gofa Zone, told Reuters by phone. "We have so far recovered 157 bodies from two villages...We believe the number will increase." "The death toll surged after the people who came to rescue also got trapped," said Gofa district administrator Misikir Mitiku.

Young children and pregnant women were among the victims of the mudslides in the Kencho Shacha Gozdi district of southern Ethiopia, said Dagmawi Ayele, a local administrator. The death toll rose from 55 late Monday to 157 on Tuesday as search operations continued in the area, said Kassahun Abayneh, head of the Gofa Zone communications office. Gofa Zone is the administrative area where the mudslides occurred. "We are still searching for the missing," said Melese, director of the disaster response agency in Gofa Zone. "There are children who are hugging corpses, having lost their entire family, including mother, father, brother and sister, due to the accident," he said.

Residents seen using bare hands to dig through dirt in search of survivors in remote, mountainous area. More than 200 people have been killed in two landslides in southern Ethiopia, authorities said. Alemayehu Bawdi, Southern Regional State representative, confirmed the death toll and said “search and rescue efforts are ongoing”. The southern region has experienced landslides previously, with at least 32 people killed in 2018 after two separate incidents within a week of each other. The flooding and landslides occurred even as other parts of the country are facing severe drought, which has prompted traditional herding communities to explore alternative food production methods.

The joint initiative is an offshoot of a proposal by by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoumm, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, at the 2017 World Economic Forum. Picture: PM AbiyAddis Abeba – A joint initiative between Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) dubbed “5 Million Ethiopian Coders” is launched today in Addis Abeba in the presence of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, his deputy Temesgen Tiruneh, and senior officials from the UAE. “The 5 Million Ethiopian Coders Initiative we launch today is a great opportunity… I call upon everyone to encourage the youth to register for the program, gain skills, and acquire international certification,” PM Abiy said in a message posted on his social media networks. Ethiopian learners will “gain foundational level skills across three domains: Programming Fundamentals, Data Science Fundamentals, and Android Kotlin Developer Fundamentals. Upon successful course completion, learners will be awarded skill-based certifications.”PM Abiy further remarked that the 5 million Ethiopian coders will not only “create innovative local solutions but also become a beacon of hope for our continent.” AS

ADDIS ABABA: Local residents were desperately searching for survivors on Tuesday after a landslide in a remote area of southern Ethiopia killed 229 people, the deadliest such disaster recorded in the Horn of Africa nation. The government-owned Ethiopia Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) said 229 people had died in the landslide in the Geze-Gofa district in an isolated mountainous region in the South Ethiopia regional state. Ethiopia, the second most populous country in Africa with around 120 million people, is highly vulnerable to climate disasters including flooding and drought. In 2016, 41 people were killed in a landslide following heavy rains in Wolaita, also in South Ethiopia. The deadliest landslide in Africa was in Sierra Leone’s capital in Freetown in August 2017 when 1,141 people perished.

Di landslides happun on Sunday evening and Monday morning, afta heavy rains fall for one remote mountain area of di Gofa zone. Di local authority tok say di search for survivors go "kontinu vigorously" but say di "death toll fit increase". Foto show say hundreds of pipo gather for di scene and oda dig in di dirt in search of pipo wey dey trap underneath. Gofa na part of di state wey pipo sabi as Southern Ethiopia, e dey around 320km (199 miles) south-west of di capital, Addis Ababa. For May 2016, at least 50 pipo die in floods and landslides following heavy rain across di south of di kontri.

Gofa Zone Government Communication Affairs Department/ESN/AFPThe death toll from two landslides in southern Ethiopia has jumped to 229 and could rise further as the search for survivors and casualties continued into a second day. A landslide buried people in Gofa zone in Southern Ethiopia regional state on Sunday night, then a second one engulfed others who had gathered to help on Monday morning. We are still recovering bodies," Markos Melese, head of the National Disaster Response agency in Gofa Zone, told Reuters by phone. On Monday, an official said at least 50 people had died and children and police officers were among the dead. "The death toll surged after the people who came to rescue also got trapped," said Gofa district administrator Misikir Mitiku.

Addis Ababa, July 23 A landslide in southern Ethiopia has claimed more than 157 lives, the local government said on Tuesday. The landslide occurred on Monday in southern Ethiopia's Geze Gofa district, Xinhua news agency reported. The death toll has increased due to additional accidents involving people who went to the area for life-saving work. Some teachers, health workers, and agriculture professionals who were present for the rescue work have become victims of the accident, the local government said. Ethiopian Red Cross Association and professionals from the neighbouring regions and zones are at the site helping the victims.

Motown founder Berry Gordy said in a statement that Fakir helped embody the Tops’ “showmanship, class and artistry. “For 70 years, he kept the Four Tops’ remarkable legacy intact.”The Four Tops were among Motown’s most popular and enduring acts, peaking in the 1960s. The Tops had recorded for several labels, including the famed Chess Records in Chicago, with little commercial success. Fakir later toured as the Four Tops with lead vocalist Alexander Morris, Ronnie McNeir and Lawrence ‘Roquel’ Payton Jr., the son of Lawrence Payton. “As each one of them (the original members) passed a little bit of me left with them,” Fakir told UK Music Reviews in 2021.