Frantic digging at scene of deadly Ethiopia landslides

At the scene Ethiopia’s deadliest landslides men are still digging through mounds of mud with their bare hands, spades and pick axes to find those missing - their efforts punctuated by the wails of women and children mourning the 229 people whose bodies have so far been found.

They are victims of a cruel act of nature: on Sunday, heavy rains caused a landslide in a village perched high on a mountain in the remote Gofa zone.

With four homes engulfed by the landslide, nearby villagers and police officers came in large numbers to dig through the mud in the hope of finding the occupants alive, while women and children looked on, praying and consoling each other.