A deadly landslide hit a mountain monastery in Ethiopia’s North Showa Zone, where 14 people died while attending a special night prayer service.
The Tsadqane Debre Mitmaq St Mary Monastery, carved into the cliff side, hosts a prayer chamber that gathered numerous worshippers. Overnight heavy rain caused the hillside above the cave to fail, sending a wall of earth and debris down the slope and engulfing the gathering.
Rescue teams—including security, health workers and local volunteers—were on scene but can no longer continue searching for survivors, as fears of a secondary slide and unstable ground remain high.
Seven people were reported injured, five of them seriously. In an effort to honour the dead, eleven victims have been buried on the monastery grounds. The remaining bodies are being returned to their hometowns for burial.
“The land above the cave slid after the heavy rain that lasted throughout the night,” explained senior local official Dagnachew Azbite. “Many who died were here to receive the holy water cleansing ritual, a ritual that is highly valued in Ethiopian Orthodox circles.
The incident follows a trend of increasing extreme weather events. In March a separate landslide in the Gamo Zone killed more than 100 people, and July’s Geze Gofa Zone disaster claimed over 229 lives, including rescuers.
Researchers warn that climate change is intensifying long, heavy rain spells and dry periods, making landslides more frequent and devastating, especially in East Africa.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s North Shewa Diocese head, Archbishop Abune Klementos, travelled to the monastery to lead funeral prayers and offer comfort to grieving families.
