Fourteen people died and five were injured in a landslide that buried worshippers at a monastery in Ethiopia's Amhara region, the head of the diocese told AFP.
The incident occurred in the Sela Dingay area, about 200 kilometers northeast of the capital, Addis Ababa.
Diocesan head Megabe Hadis Neka Tibeb Ababu stated that the disaster struck on Monday morning "after very heavy overnight rainfall, accompanied by lightning and thunder." A mass of mud slid down a slope and buried part of the "Tsadkane Mariam" Orthodox monastery.
"Fourteen worshippers who were praying in the monastery died on the spot in the disaster. Three people who were seriously injured were taken to the hospital in Debre Birhan and are still receiving treatment," he said.
Ethiopia, where more than three-quarters of the population lives in rural areas, is frequently affected by disasters related to climate change. In July 2024, at least 257 people died in a landslide in the southern part of the country, and another 80 people fell victim to floods and landslides in the same region in March.