UN says Ethiopia landslide death toll could reach 500

Residents and volunteers dig in the mud in search for bodies at the scene of a landslide in the Kencho Shacha Gozdi district of southern Ethiopia, July 25, 2024. Relatives and residents mourn the death of their loved ones in a collective ceremony close to the scene of a landslide in Kencho Shacha Gozdi district in southern Ethiopia on July 25, 2024.

The death toll from landslides in a remote region of southern Ethiopia has risen to 257, the United Nations said Thursday and the number could soar up to 500.