Landslide At Ethiopia Monastery Kills At Least 14 During Prayer Ritual

At least 14 people were killed after a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall struck a monastery in Ethiopia's Amhara region during a holy water cleansing ritual on Monday, with an unknown number of worshippers still feared trapped beneath the debris, according to the AP.

The landslide hit Tsadqane Debre Mitmaq St Mary Monastery, where hundreds of people had gathered for a traditional holy water service, a ritual widely attended by worshippers seeking spiritual healing from chronic illnesses.

"The disaster occurred at approximately 7 AM, and many of those who died had gathered to receive the holy water," Megabe Hadis Neka Tibeb Ababu, the diocese's general manager, told AP, adding that rescuers believe more people remain trapped under the rubble.

The landslide occurred near a mountainside where large rocks broke loose and crashed onto the gathering, compounding the impact of the mudslide.

Rescue Operations Continue

At least seven people were injured and taken to hospitals, while search and rescue operations continued amid fears that the death toll could rise.

Ababu told AP that 11 of the victims had already been buried at the monastery, while the remaining bodies were returned to their hometowns. He added that some victims were difficult to identify because of the severity of the disaster.

Authorities said those seriously injured were transferred to Debre Birhan, the capital of North Shewa Administrative Zone, about 70 km from the monastery. A disaster response team has also been deployed to assist local rescue efforts.

Recurring Rainy Season Disasters

The tragedy comes during Ethiopia's Kiremt rainy season, which runs from June to September and frequently brings flooding and landslides across the country.

Heavy rains triggered one of Ethiopia's deadliest landslides in July 2024, killing at least 257 people in the country's south. Earlier this year, another mudslide in the Gamo area killed more than 100 people.

Experts have warned that increasingly frequent extreme weather events, combined with fragile infrastructure and vulnerable hillside settlements, have heightened the risk of deadly floods and landslides across Ethiopia during the annual rainy season.