Ethiopia declares 3 days of national mourning as mudslide death toll rises to 257

Associated Press

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopian lawmakers declared three days of mourning Friday as diggers continued the search for bodies of mudslide victims in a remote part of the East African country. Heavy rain triggered deadly slides on Sunday and Monday in Ethiopia’s south, killing at least 257 people, according to the U.N. humanitarian office, known as OCHA. It said in its latest update that the death toll could rise to as many as 500, citing local officials. The national assembly said a three-day period of national mourning would begin on Saturday. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said earlier in the week that he was “deeply saddened by this terrible loss.”