A landslide at a mountain monastery in Ethiopia's northern Amhara region during an overnight prayer service has killed 14 people. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
Funerals have been held for some of the victims. The hillside above the Orthodox Church monastery collapsed in the early hours of Monday. Rescue efforts have now been halted.
The monastery includes a prayer chamber carved into the mountainside, where worshippers had gathered for the special service. Senior local official Dagnachew Azbite told the BBC that the land above the cave slid after heavy rain that lasted throughout the night. He said seven people were found injured, five seriously.
The prayer service at the Tsadqane Debre Mitmaq St Mary Monastery included a holy water cleansing ritual popular among Orthodox Christians seeking spiritual healing for chronic illnesses. Megabe Hadis Neka Tibeb Ababu, the diocese's general manager, told the Associated Press that many of those who died had gathered to receive the holy water.
Eleven of the deceased have been buried at the monastery, while the bodies of others have been returned to their hometowns. Identifying some victims remains a challenge. Local authorities said emergency teams, security personnel, healthcare workers and nearby residents were among those carrying out search and rescue operations.
Archbishop Abune Klementos, head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church's North Shewa Diocese, travelled to the monastery to lead funeral prayers and comfort grieving families.
Landslides are a recurring hazard in Ethiopia during the main rainy season from June to August. In March, more than 100 people were killed in floods and landslides in the southern Gamo Zone. In July 2024, a landslide in the neighbouring Geze Gofa Zone killed more than 229 people, including rescuers.
Scientists have repeatedly cautioned that human-driven climate change is making severe weather events, such as intense, long-lasting downpours, more frequent and more severe.