Over 80 die, 500 disappear due to Awash River flooding, residents tell IRC
ESAT News
October 18, 2014
The overflowing of Ethiopia's Awash River has so far killed at least 87
people and led to the disappearance of 500 people whose whereabouts is not
known yet, residents told the International Red Cross (IRC).
The sources of the Awash River come from the central Ethiopian highlands,
West of Addis Ababa, and flows towards the Rift Valley. The River's basin
covers an area of 110,000 square kilometers in Ethiopia's Oromia, Afar and
Amhara regions, the Afar region being one of the most affected at the
moment.
Sources close to the Organisation have told ESAT that the Ethiopian
government's report that the residents have not faced any causality is far
from the truth.
The residents said that they have buried 87 people with Ejan so far and the
news of the disaster was reported a week after it had occurred making the
problem even worse.
They said that they are saddened by what has unfolded since the disaster and
critiqued the government for being an "unconcerned government."
They have called Red Cross to reach out for them stressing that the disaster
is still continuing troublingly.