Landslide in Gofa, Ethiopia: My family went to help landslide victims and ended up dead

Meselech Gusayi, a mother of six, was in her hilltop home in the Gofa region of southern Ethiopia looking after her children when she heard the landslide that trapped many of them in the mud.

“We heard people screaming and ran down the hill,” she said, struggling to hold back tears as she recalled what happened on Sunday.

The village of Kencho Sacha Gozde, where Ms Misilić lives, is among a number of small villages spread across the mountainous landscape that are at risk of flooding and landslides.

This cluster of settlements is characterised by mud-walled, tin-roofed houses, some perched on or near the top of green slopes. Other villages – including the one buried by the landslide – are clustered at the foot of the hills.

The disaster on Sunday was preceded by heavy rains, which made the narrow, slippery paths in the area dangerous.

But Mrs. Misilich, her husband and some of her children did not hesitate to run towards the accident site.

And when we got there we saw the land [had swallowed] “The houses,” she told the BBC.

They joined a crowd of villagers who had similarly arrived upon hearing the news and instinctively began digging in the dirt and mud, many using only their hands, in the hope of rescuing those buried beneath.

In the following hours, many more came. But their success was limited – few people were pulled out alive, and many remained trapped.

“It was a sad day,” Ms. Misilić said.

When local officials realized that more manpower and effort was needed, they began to mobilize help.

The next day, at an emergency meeting, they asked every able-bodied adult, and older children, to gather whatever farming tools—such as shovels, axes, and picks—they could get their hands on and work in unison.

The site was inaccessible to vehicles equipped with heavier lifting equipment.

Ms. Misilić’s husband and two eldest sons, aged 15 and 12, immediately joined the search and rescue efforts. Meanwhile, she returned home from the meeting to breastfeed her baby and cook for her other children.

Then she went back down the hill to help. But what awaited her was a different—and more tragic—scenario. A second landslide buried most of the rescuers.

Unable to control her emotions, she ran to the ground that had swallowed her husband and children. But someone stopped her, reminding her that it was still dangerous.

“They said I still had children at home and had to live for them.”

In the following hours, news of the double tragedy was heard in nearby villages and towns.

Families rushed to search for their missing loved ones. Some were soon confirmed dead – including the district chief who had been mobilizing residents after the first landslide.

“One time, I saw diggers pulling out someone’s body,” Ms. Misilić said. “I thought it was my husband. I started helping.”

“I thought he was alive. But he was dead. He was still holding the axe he had when he went to help. [those buried in the first landslide].

“His face was unrecognizable. To make sure, I checked his breast pocket because I knew he kept his ID there. It was him. I screamed.”

When her husband’s body – along with the other recovered bodies – was taken to a safe place, Mrs. Misilić was unable to go because her two sons were still missing.

“I was hesitating between going and staying.”

The body of her 12-year-old son was later found. Her 15-year-old son had not been found at the time of speaking to the BBC on Thursday.

“How do I [suffered] “Having my children, raising them, educating them. It’s very sad for me,” she said, overcome with grief.

But Mrs. Misilich is not alone in her grief, as death has knocked on the doors of many families here.

Some 257 people have been confirmed dead in the two landslides. The United Nations estimates that number could rise to 500 as more mud is removed in the coming days.

Serawit Yohannes, whose father and half-brother are still missing, told the BBC that since most people have loved ones missing or confirmed dead, “even relatives are not helping us dig” because they have “two or three family members to look for”.

According to the United Nations, 15,000 people will have to be moved from these hills to avoid future disasters. This will require a lot of effort and money.

But the end for Mrs. Misilich will not come until her son is found.

It will take a long time before society begins to recover.