Funerals have been held for 14 people killed in a landslide that struck a mountain monastery in Ethiopia's northern Amhara region during an overnight prayer service. Rescue efforts for others feared trapped in the debris have been halted after a hillside above the Orthodox Church monastery collapsed in the early hours of Monday.
The monastery features a prayer chamber carved into the mountainside, where worshippers had gathered for the service. "The land above the cave… slid after the heavy rain that lasted throughout the night," said Dagnachew Azbite, a senior local official. Seven people were found injured, five of them seriously.
Many of those who died had gathered for a holy water cleansing ritual, a practice popular among Orthodox Christians seeking spiritual healing. "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.
Eleven of the deceased have been buried at the monastery, while the remaining bodies were returned to their hometowns. Identifying some of the victims has been a challenge, according to Megabe.
Archbishop Abune Klementos, head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church's North Shewa Diocese, traveled to the monastery to lead funeral prayers and offer comfort to grieving families. Emergency teams, security personnel, healthcare workers, and nearby residents had participated in search and rescue operations.
Landslides are a recurring hazard in Ethiopia, particularly during the main rainy season from June to August. In March, over 100 people were killed by floods and landslides in the southern Gamo Zone. In July 2024, a landslide in the neighboring Geze Gofa Zone killed more than 229 people, including rescuers, marking one of the country's deadliest weather-related disasters in recent years.
Scientists have noted a rise in extreme wet spells and prolonged dry periods across East Africa over the past two decades, cautioning that human-driven climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of severe weather events, including intense rainfall.