Dagnachew Azbite Confirms 14 Deaths After Landslide Strikes Ethiopian Orthodox Monastery During Night Prayer Service
A landslide in Ethiopia's northern Amhara region has killed 14 people and injured seven others after a hillside collapsed during an overnight prayer service at the Tsadqane Debre Mitmaq St Mary Monastery. Dagnachew Azbite, a senior local official, stated that the land above the prayer chamber, which was carved into the mountainside, slid after heavy rain throughout the night. Many of the victims were gathered to receive holy water for a spiritual healing ritual. Megabe Hadis Neka Tibeb Ababu, the diocese's general manager, noted that while eleven victims were buried at the monastery, the remaining three were returned to their hometowns. Archbishop Abune Klementos led funeral prayers for the deceased. The disaster occurred during Ethiopia's main rainy season, a period frequently associated with and prone to landslides. Scientists have warned that human-driven climate change is making such severe weather events more frequent and severe across East Africa.