Landslide in Gofa, Ethiopia: My family went to help the victims of the landslide and lost their lives

Meselesh Gosaye, a mother of six, was caring for her children at her hilltop home in Gofa district, southern Ethiopia, when she heard the landslide that trapped many in the mud.

“We heard screaming and ran down the hill,” she said, fighting back tears as she remembered what happened on Sunday.

In the village of Kencho Satcha Gozdi, where Ms Meselech lives, there are several small villages scattered across the hilly landscape that are at risk of flooding and landslides.

The chain of settlements is characterized by mud houses with tin roofs, some of them on or near the top of the lush slopes. Other villages – including the one buried by the landslide – are located at the foot of the hills.

Sunday’s disaster was preceded by heavy rains that made the narrow and slippery footpaths in the area dangerous.

But Mrs. Meselech, her husband and some of their children did not hesitate and rushed to the scene of the accident.

“When we got there, we saw that the earth had swallowed the houses,” she told the BBC.

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

Many more arrived in the hours that followed, but their success was limited – a few people were pulled out alive, many others remained trapped.

“It was a sad day,” said Ms. Meselech.

With significantly more personnel and effort required, local officials began mobilizing assistance.

The next day, at an emergency meeting, they called on all able-bodied adults and older children to gather all the farm tools they could get their hands on—such as shovels, axes, and hoes—and work together.

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

Ms. Meselech’s husband and her two eldest sons – aged 15 and 12 – immediately joined the search and rescue efforts. In the meantime, she returned home from the meeting to breastfeed her toddler and cook for her other children.

Then she went back down the mountain to help. But what awaited her was a different – and even more tragic – scene. There had been a second landslide that buried most of those involved in the rescue operation.

Unable to control her emotions, she rushed into the land that would swallow her husband and children. But someone stopped her and reminded her that it was still dangerous.

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

In the following hours, news of the double tragedy reached all surrounding villages and towns.

Families searched desperately for their missing relatives. Some were quickly confirmed dead – including the local mayor, who mobilized residents after the first landslide.

At some point, “Mrs. Meselech saw excavator drivers pulling a body out of the grave. I thought it was my husband. I started to help,” she said.

“I thought he was alive. But he was dead. He was still holding the axe that he had when he came to help (those buried in the first landslide).

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

When her husband’s body was taken to a safe location – along with other recovered bodies – Mrs. Meselech could not go with them because her two sons were still missing.

“I was torn between going and staying behind.”

The body of her 12-year-old son was later recovered. Her 15-year-old son had not yet been found when she spoke to the BBC on Thursday.

“How I suffered giving birth to, raising and educating my children. It makes me so sad,” she said, as grief overwhelmed her.

But Mrs. Meselech is not alone in her grief. For many families here, death has already knocked on the door.

The two landslides killed 257 people, and the UN estimates that this number could rise to 500 as more mud is dug up in the coming days.

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

According to the UN, in order to prevent future disasters, 15,000 people must be relocated from these hills. This will cost a lot of effort and money.

But for Mrs. Meselech, there will only be closure when her son is found.

It will take a long time for the community to begin to heal.