Ethiopia: At least 30 killed in landslide at Addis Ababa rubbish dump

At least 30 people were killed and 28 others injured after a landslide at a major rubbish dump on the outskirts of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

Officials said on Sunday that the collapse occurred Saturday night pulling down about thirty houses belonging to people living on the landfill in Koshe.

Spokesperson for the Addis Ababa municipality, Dagmawit Moges, told AFP that the landslide hit a “relatively large” area while estimating at least 30 deaths.

“Now we have 30 people dead. We expect the number of victims to increase,” he added, saying most of the victims are squatters who search for valuable items in the rubbish.

The Koshe landfill has existed for more than 40 years and is one of the major dump sites on the outskirts of the capital which is home to a growing 4 million people.