Massive Garbage Landslide Kills 46 In Ethiopia

MEP: At least 46 people have been killed and dozens are missing after a landslide struck at a massive garbage dump on the outskirts of Ethiopia’s capital.

According to officials, the incident occurred on Saturday night at the Koshe landfill. A resident said 150 people were there at the time.

Country’s communications minister, Negeri Lencho said officials were still investigating how the landslide occurred.

“It’s a sad story because the government has been trying to resettle the people residing in the area,” Lencho said. The government had also been building a factory to convert waste products at the landfill into electric energy, he said.

Dozens of homes of squatters who lived in the Koshe landfill site, on the outskirts of the capital, were flattened when the largest pile of rubbish collapsed.

Dagmawit Moges, head of the city communications bureau, said 46 people had died – 32 female and 14 male, including some children. Many of the victims were squatters who scavenged for a living in the 30-hectare (74-acre) dump, she said.

The landfill has been a dumping ground for the capital’s garbage for more than 50 years.

Local resident Musa Suleiman Abdulah told AFP he heard “a big sound” and saw “something like a tornado… rushing to us” when the landslide occurred.

Addis Ababa Mayor Diriba Kuma said 37 people had been rescued and were receiving medical treatment.