64 Dead, 128 Missing in Ethiopia Floods and Landslides
The Facts
- At least 64 people have been killed in floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains in the Gamo Zone of southern Ethiopia, with 128 people reported missing. The disaster affected the Gacho Baba, Kamba and Bonke districts following a week of heavy rainfall.
- Gamo Zone officials say up to 102 people are believed dead after saturated highland slopes collapsed, burying victims in mud. Rescue teams pulled one person alive from the debris, according to disaster response director Mesfin Manuqa.
- Mudslides blocked key roads and several bridges were flooded, disrupting transport and complicating rescue operations in affected areas. The overflow of the Kulfo and Sego rivers caused damage to institutions and infrastructure in Arba Minch city and nearby districts.
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The Spin
Climate-skeptic narrative
Heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods across Ethiopia’s Gamo Zone after saturated slopes collapsed and buried homes in mountainous communities. While some analysts have tried to link this disaster to climate change, similar landslides have long occurred in the region's steep highlands before. It's important to probe whether this was extreme weather alone or deeper factors such as land use, deforestation, and weak disaster preparedness.
Climate-concerned narrative
Climate change has made these catastrophic rains up to twice as intense, turning manageable seasonal weather into deadly disasters across East Africa. Human-caused warming is driving more frequent and severe rainfall events that devastate vulnerable populations still recovering from earlier droughts. Rich countries burning fossil fuels are destabilizing the climate system and contributing to these lethal floods.
Metaculus Prediction
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