Landslide kills 42 in Ethiopia

Rescue efforts were underway on Wednesday following a landslide in southern Ethiopia that killed 42 people, police said.

Torrential rains in Wolaita, around 300 kilometres (195 miles) southwest of the capital Addis Ababa, wiped out roads and bridges, Cmdr. Endale Aberra, spokesman for the state police, told Anadolu Agency.

He said a rescue and assessment team, led by the State Chief Dessie Dalke and Police Commissioner Fisseha Garedew, arrived in the region earlier on Wednesday.

Merihun Fikru, a member of the regional emergency committee, said that rescue efforts were being hampered by damage to the roads.

"Rescue operations have continued in an intensified manner," he said.

"The bodies of 32 victims have been recovered so far from the rubble and laid to rest."

Fikru said residents were being evacuated from the areas deemed most at risk from further landslides.

Although Ethiopia is coping with the worst drought in 50 years, heavy rain have caused damage across the country.