Deadly landslide hits Ethiopia mountain monastery during prayer service
It sent rocks and earth crashing on to those praying at an overnight service, the authorities say.
A fatal landslide struck an Ethiopian mountain monastery during a prayer service, claiming the lives of 14 individuals. Funerals have already taken place for some of the victims.
The incident occurred at a monastery in Ethiopia's northern Amhara region, where an overnight prayer session was being held. Rescue operations have ceased for others who were feared trapped after a hillside above the Orthodox Church monastery collapsed early Monday morning.
The monastery features a prayer chamber carved into the mountainside, where the worshippers had gathered for a special prayer service. Dagnachew Azbite, a senior local official, informed the BBC that "The land above the cave… slid after the heavy rain that lasted throughout the night." He also reported that seven people were found injured, five of them seriously.
The prayer service at the Tsadqane Debre Mitmaq St Mary Monastery included a holy water cleansing ritual, a practice popular among Orthodox Christians seeking spiritual healing for chronic illnesses. Megabe Hadis Neka Tibeb Ababu, the diocese's general manager, told the Associated Press news agency that "Many of those who died had gathered to receive the holy water."
Eleven of the deceased have been interred at the monastery, while the remaining bodies were returned to their hometowns for burial, according to Megabe. He added that identifying some of the victims presented a challenge.
Local authorities stated that emergency teams, security personnel, healthcare workers, and nearby residents participated in the search and rescue operations at the site. Archbishop Abune Klementos, head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church's North Shewa Diocese, visited the monastery to lead funeral prayers for the deceased, pray for the injured, and offer solace to grieving families.
Landslides are a recurring danger in Ethiopia during its primary rainy season, which typically spans from June to August. In March, over 100 people perished in floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains in the southern Gamo Zone area. More than 229 people, including rescuers, were killed by a landslide in the neighboring Geze Gofa Zone in July 2024, marking one of the country's deadliest weather-related disasters in recent years.
Over the past two decades, numerous studies have documented an increase in both extreme wet spells and prolonged dry periods across East Africa. Scientists have repeatedly warned that human-driven climate change is making severe weather events, such as intense, long-lasting downpours, more frequent and more severe.