Dhul-go' ka dhacay suuqii quduuska ahaa ee Tsadqane Debre Mitmaq St Mary wuxuu naaxay 14 qof

Roobab culus oo habeenkii socday ayaa sababay burburka buurta ka sarraysa kaniisadda Ortodoks ee Amhara, iyadoo duqeyntii ay hakad galootay

Lix iyo toban qof ayaa ku dhintay dhul-go' ku yimid guri-suuq quduus ah oo ku yaalla gobolka Waqooyi ee Amhara, Itoobiya, saqdii dhexe ee Isniinta. Buur dusha ka xidhan kaniisadda Ortodoks ayaa dumay, iyadoo 7 qof ay ku dhaawacmeen, 5 ka mid ahna ay si halis ah u sugan yihiin.

Dhacdada iyo Duhurkii Tukashada

Dhul-go'gu wuxuu ku dhacay Tsadqane Debre Mitmaq St Mary Monastery, halkaas oo qol tukasho ah oo buurta la xardhay ay ku soo urureen cibaadada gaarka ah. Qaar badan oo ka mid ah dhimashadu waxay u yimaadeen inay qaataan biyaha quduuska ah ee caafimaad ruuxi ah u raadsanayay Masiixiyiinta Ortodoks.

Sarkaalka deegaanka Dagnachew Azbite ayaa BBC u sheegay: "The land above the cave… slid after the heavy rain that lasted throughout the night." Roobabku waa mid culus oo habeenkii oo dhan socday, taasna keentay burburka. Megabe Hadis Neka Tibeb Ababu ayaa xaqiijiyay: "Many of those who died had gathered to receive the holy water".

Aaska iyo Hakinta Samatabbixinta

Kow iyo toban qof oo ka mid ah kuwii dhintay ayaa laga aasay gudaha suuqa quduuska ah, kuwa kalena meerahoodii ayaa loo celiyay inay ku aasan yihiin. Hawlaha samatabbixinta ee looga baqayay inay ku xanniban yihiin burburka ayaa hadda la hakiyay.

Archbishop Abune Klementos, oo ah madaxa North Shewa Diocese ee Ethiopian Orthodox Church, ayaa u safray suuqa si uu u hogaamiyo salaadda aaska. Kooxo badan oo ay ku jiraan badbaadiyayaal iyo dad deegaanka ah ayaa ka qayb qaaday duqeyntii hore.

Khatarta Roobka iyo Cimilada

Dhul-go'adu waa khatar soo noqnoqota xilliga roobka ee Itoobiya, kaas oo inta badan socda inta u dhaxaysa Juun ilaa Ogosto. Bishii July 2024, in ka badan 229 qof ayaa ku dhintay dhul-go' ka dhacay Geze Gofa Zone ee u dhow.

Daraasadaha labaatankii sano ee la soo dhaafay waxay diiwaangeliyeen kororka roobabka xad-dhaaf ah iyo qalalaasaha qalajiga Bariga Afrika. Saynisyahano ayaa ka digay in isbeddelka cimilada ee bini'aadamku geliyeed uu dhigayay dhacdooyinka cimilada daran kuwo sii badan.

Fourteen people were killed when a hillside collapsed onto the Tsadqane Debre Mitmaq St Mary Monastery in Ethiopia's Amhara region during an early-morning prayer service, with heavy overnight rain triggering the disaster.

Disaster Strikes During Holy Ritual

A hillside above the Orthodox Church monastery collapsed in the early hours of Monday morning, burying a prayer chamber carved into the mountainside where worshippers had gathered for a special service. The monastery includes a prayer chamber carved into the mountainside, where the worshippers had gathered for the special prayer service.

Heavy rain that lasted throughout the night caused the landslide, according to local officials. "The land above the cave… slid after the heavy rain that lasted throughout the night," said Dagnachew Azbite, a senior local official. Many of those who died had gathered to receive the holy water during a cleansing ritual popular among Orthodox Christians seeking spiritual healing for chronic illnesses.

Casualties and Rescue Efforts

Seven people were found injured, five of them seriously, while rescue operations for others feared trapped in the debris have now been halted. Eleven of those who died have been buried at the monastery, while the bodies of the others have been returned to their hometowns for burial.

Emergency teams, security personnel, healthcare workers and nearby residents had been among those carrying out search and rescue operations at the site. Identifying some of the victims remained a challenge, according to the diocese's general manager, Megabe Hadis Neka Tibeb Ababu.

Church Leaders Mourn and Climate Concerns Grow

Archbishop Abune Klementos, the head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church's North Shewa Diocese, travelled to the monastery to lead funeral prayers for those killed, pray for the injured and offer comfort to grieving families. The tragedy underscores the recurring danger of landslides in Ethiopia during the country's main rainy season, which typically runs from June to August.

More than 229 people, including rescuers, were killed by a landslide in the neighbouring Geze Gofa Zone in July 2024. Over the past two decades, numerous studies have documented a rise in both extreme wet spells and prolonged dry periods across East Africa, as scientists caution that human-driven climate change is making severe weather events more frequent and more severe.