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Ethiopia rubbish dump landslide: Search for survivors | Ethiopia rubbish dump landslide: Search for survivors |
(35 minutes later) | |
Rescue workers are searching for survivors of a landslide that has killed 62 people at a vast dump in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. | |
Officials say the death toll for the Saturday night landslide at the Koshe landfill is likely to rise. A resident said 150 people were there at the time. | Officials say the death toll for the Saturday night landslide at the Koshe landfill is likely to rise. A resident said 150 people were there at the time. |
A number of makeshift houses are now buried under tonnes of waste. | A number of makeshift houses are now buried under tonnes of waste. |
The area has been a dumping ground for Addis Ababa's rubbish for more than five decades. | The area has been a dumping ground for Addis Ababa's rubbish for more than five decades. |
Rescuers are using bulldozers and even bare hands to move tonnes of debris as the search for survivors and dead bodies continues. | Rescuers are using bulldozers and even bare hands to move tonnes of debris as the search for survivors and dead bodies continues. |
At least 10 more bodies have been recovered on Monday. | |
City authorities say dozens of people are still unaccounted for and could be buried under the rubble. | City authorities say dozens of people are still unaccounted for and could be buried under the rubble. |
Dozens of others have been treated and discharged from a local hospital. | Dozens of others have been treated and discharged from a local hospital. |
Communications Minister Negeri Lencho told the BBC that the government had appealed to the residents to leave the dump: | |
"We had plans to resettle the people. Unfortunately this landslide occurred in the meantime. | |
"But now more than 290 people living in the area have been relocated. We plan to support them so that they can live in a safe zone." | |
Katsela Mengistu, a 50-year-old father of two, is among hundreds of residents who have gathered at the site, waiting and watching anxiously for news about his family: | |
"I am just here waiting for news of my family members; my wife and two children - a boy and a girl. They are all buried under this landslide. The government is helping so we will just have to wait," Mr Katsela told our reporter. | |
Families relocated: Emmanuel Igunza, BBC Africa, Addis Ababa | Families relocated: Emmanuel Igunza, BBC Africa, Addis Ababa |
Families that lived in makeshift houses near the area have gathered at the scene to seek information about missing relatives even as hopes fade of finding anyone alive. | Families that lived in makeshift houses near the area have gathered at the scene to seek information about missing relatives even as hopes fade of finding anyone alive. |
Many of them are huddled in small groups talking in low tones, others crying and sobbing loudly. | Many of them are huddled in small groups talking in low tones, others crying and sobbing loudly. |
Hundreds of people attempt to make a living here by scavenging at the landfill site, sifting through the rubbish for items they can sell. | Hundreds of people attempt to make a living here by scavenging at the landfill site, sifting through the rubbish for items they can sell. |
Some people even resided at the rubbish dump permanently. | Some people even resided at the rubbish dump permanently. |
Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has offered his condolences to grieving families assuring them of a full investigation of the incident once rescue operations are completed. | Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has offered his condolences to grieving families assuring them of a full investigation of the incident once rescue operations are completed. |
The authorities have been building Africa's first waste-to-energy plant near the landfill. | The authorities have been building Africa's first waste-to-energy plant near the landfill. |
They plan to burn rubbish generated by the capital's estimated four million people and convert it into electricity. | They plan to burn rubbish generated by the capital's estimated four million people and convert it into electricity. |