So Sad! 24 People Dead Many Injured as Landslide Hits Ethiopia (PHOTO)

  A fatal natural disaster has hit East Africa with a high number of casualties recorded in the unexpected mishap that has spread panic among residents.

At least 24 people were killed and 28 others injured in a giant landslide of garbage inside a trash dump on the outskirts of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, a city spokesman told a reporter on Sunday.

The landslide late Saturday levelled more than 30 makeshift homes of squatters living inside the Koshe landfill, said Dagmawit Moges, head of the city communications bureau.

Many of the victims were squatters, who scavenged for valuables in the dump, he said.

“We expect the number of victims to increase because the landslide covered a relatively large area,” he said.

The Koshe site has for more than 50 years been one of the main garbage dumps for Addis Ababa, a rapidly growing city of some four million people.

In another account, Addis Ababa Mayor Diriba Kuma said 15 bodies had been recovered since the landslide at the Koshe Garbage Landfill buried several makeshift homes and concrete buildings.