Deadly landslide hits Ethiopian mountain monastery during prayer service
Heavy rain on Saturday night caused a steep hillside above the Orthodox St. Mary monastery in northern Amhara to collapse, sending a torrent of debris into the carved prayer chamber. In the early hours of Monday, 14 people—many of whom were attending a special holy‑water ritual—were killed, and several others were found injured, with five requiring immediate medical care.
Search and rescue teams, which included local security, healthcare workers and community volunteers, fanned the scene only until the hazardous debris made further operations impossible. The head of the North Shewa Diocese, Archbishop Abune Klementos, announced the funeral prayers at the site and comforted grieving families.
Eleven victims were buried on monastery grounds; the bodies of the remaining three were transported to their hometowns for burial. Victim identification proved difficult due to the extent of the damage and the hurried conditions of the funeral rites.
Landslides are a familiar risk in Ethiopia’s main rainy season (June‑August). In 2024, a July landslide in the Geze Gofa Zone killed 229 people, while the 2026 event came amid a broader pattern of intense or prolonged downpours that scientists say are linked to human‑induced climate change.
Mar. 2026, heavy rains had previously claimed more than a hundred lives in the southern Gamo Zone. IPCC studies illustrate the rise in extreme wet spells across East Africa.
Additional reporting by Wycliffe Muia.
