Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Police and rescuers at the site of the rubbish landslide

At least 48 people have been killed in a landslide at a vast rubbish dump on the outskirts of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, officials say.

They say dozens of people are still missing since the landslide on Saturday night at the Koshe landfill. A resident said 150 people were there at the time.

A number of makeshift houses are now buried under tonnes of waste.

The area has been a dumping ground for Addis Ababa's rubbish for more than five decades.

A city spokeswoman told AP news agency that many children were among the dead.

There are fears the death toll could rise further.

Image copyright AP Image caption Grieving residents gathered near the site waiting for news about their loved ones

Local resident Musa Suleiman Abdulah told AFP he heard "a big sound" and saw "something like a tornado... rushing to us" when the landslide occurred.

Tebeju Asres said that the family's house had been swallowed by the landslide.

"My mother and three of my sisters were there when the landslide happened. Now I don't know the fate of all of them," he told AP.

Hundreds of people attempt to make a living by scavenging at the landfill site, sifting through the rubbish for items they can sell, the BBC's Emmanuel Igunza in Addis Ababa reports.

Some people even resided at the rubbish dump permanently.

Image copyright AFP Image caption The area has been a dumping ground for more than 50 years

The authorities have been building Africa's first waste-to-energy plant near the landfill.

They plan to burn rubbish generated by the capital's estimated four million people and convert it into electricity.</s>At least 48 people have been killed in a landslide at a vast rubbish dump on the outskirts of Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, officials say.

They say dozens of people are still missing since the landslide on Saturday night at the Koshe landfill. A resident said 150 people were there at the time.

A number of makeshift houses are now buried under tonnes of waste.

The area has been a dumping ground for Addis Ababa’s rubbish for more than five decades.

A city spokeswoman told AP news agency that many children were among the dead.

There are fears the death toll could rise further.

The authorities have been building Africa’s first waste-to-energy plant near the landfill.

They plan to burn rubbish generated by the capital’s estimated four million people and convert it into electricity.</s>At least 35 people have been killed in a landslide at rubbish site on the outskirts of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, officials have said.

Dozens of people are missing since the landslide on Saturday night at Koshe landfill.

Around 150 people are believed to have been at the site - where makeshift homes - were also located - when the landslide occurred, a resident said.

Most of the victims were women and children, and more bodies were expected to be found, an Addis Ababa city spokeswoman said.

Addis Ababa Mayor Diriba Kuma said 37 people had been rescued and were receiving medical treatment.</s>The two-line 34-kilometre light rail system in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa has been touted as a sign of the dividends the country's rapid economic growth is paying to its people At least 35 people have been killed in a landslide at rubbish site on the outskirts of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, officials have said. The incident happened on Saturday at the Koshe Garbage Landfill, said Mayor Diriba Kuma, with 15 bodies recovered so far.

Start the conversation, or Read more at The Oak Ridge Observer.</s>At least 48 people have been killed in a landslide at a vast rubbish dump on the outskirts of Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, officials say.

They say dozens of people are still missing since the landslide on Saturday night at the Koshe landfill. A resident said 150 people were there at the time, says the BBC.

A number of makeshift houses are now buried under tonnes of waste.

The area has been a dumping ground for Addis Ababa’s rubbish for more than five decades.

A city spokeswoman told AP news agency that many children were among the dead.

There are fears the death toll could rise further.

Local resident Musa Suleiman Abdulah told AFP he heard “a big sound” and saw “something like a tornado… rushing to us” when the landslide occurred.

Tebeju Asres said that the family’s house had been swallowed by the landslide.

“My mother and three of my sisters were there when the landslide happened. Now I don’t know the fate of all of them,” he told AP.

Hundreds of people attempt to make a living by scavenging at the landfill site, sifting through the rubbish for items they can sell, the BBC’s Emmanuel Igunza in Addis Ababa reports.

Some people even resided at the rubbish dump permanently.</s>At least 48 people, 15 of them children, were killed in a landslide at a huge garbage dump on the outskirts of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, the city's spokesman said on Monday. People gather at the site after a landslide at a garbage dump on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in this still image taken from a video from March 12, 2017.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Channelnewsasia.com.</s>BALTIMORE, MD (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – No fewer than 48 people have been killed in a landslide at a vast rubbish dump on the outskirts of Addis Ababa the Ethiopia’s capital.

The officials said many people are still missing since the landslide occurred Saturday night at the Koshe landfill. A resident said 150 people were there at the time. Many children were reportedly among the dead.

A number of makeshift houses are presently buried under tonnes of waste.

The area has been a dumping ground for Addis Ababa’s rubbish for over five decades.

There are fears that the death toll could rise further.

Hundreds of people who attempt to make a living by scavenging at the landfill site, sifting through the rubbish for items they can sell. Reports said some people even resided at the rubbish dump permanently.</s>Fifteen people have been killed and dozens more are missing in a landslide at a massive rubbish dump on the outskirts of Ethiopia’s capital.

Addis Ababa Mayor Diriba Kuma said 15 bodies have been recovered since the landslide on Saturday night at the Koshe Garbage Landfill buried several makeshift homes and concrete buildings. The landfill has been a dumping ground for the capital’s rubbish for more than 50 years.

About 150 people were at the site when the landslide occurred, said resident Assefa Teklemahimanot. The mayor said 37 people had been rescued and were receiving medical treatment.

Many people at the site had been scavenging items to make a living, but others live at the landfill because renting homes, largely built of mud and sticks, is relatively inexpensive there.

“In the long run, we will conduct a resettling program to relocate people who live in and around the landfill,” the Addis Ababa mayor said.

City officials in recent years have been trying to turn the rubbish into a source of clean energy. The Koshe waste-to-energy facility, which has been under construction since 2013, is expected to generate 50 megawatts of electricity upon completion.

Ethiopia, which has one of Africa’s fastest growing economies, is under a state of emergency imposed in October after several months of sometimes deadly protests demanding wider political freedoms.</s>ADDIS ABABA: A landslide at a garbage dump on the outskirts of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa has killed at least 24 people, a city spokesman told AFP on Sunday (Mar 12).

The landslide late Saturday levelled more than 30 homes and left 28 people injured, many of whom were squatters scavenging from the Koshe landfill, said Dagmawit Moges, head of the Addis Ababa city communications bureau.

Many of the victims were squatters, who scavenged for valuables in the dump, he said.

"We expect the number of victims to increase because the landslide covered a relatively large area," he said.

The Koshe site has for more than 40 years been one of the main garbage dumps for Addis Ababa, a rapidly growing city of some four million people.</s>At least 48 people, 15 of them children, were killed in a landslide at a huge garbage dump on the outskirts of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, the city’s spokesman said on Monday.

Hundreds of people live on the 50-year-old Reppi dump, the city’s only landfill site, scavenging for food and items they can sell such as recyclable metal.

It was not immediately clear what caused Saturday night’s collapse, which buried several makeshift homes and concrete buildings. About 150 people were there when the landslide occurred, resident Assefa Teklemahimanot said.

Efforts are still under way to find people still missing since the landslide which destroyed 49 dwellings, city spokesman Amare Mekonen said. Twenty-eight people were being treated in hospital.

“In a bid to prevent such things happening again, people who were living in this area have now been taken to youth centres in other parts of the city,” he said.

Many people at the landfill had been scavenging items to make a living but others live there because renting homes, largely built of mud and sticks, is relatively inexpensive.

Dumping had stopped in recent years but it resumed after farmers in a nearby restive region where a new landfill complex was being built blocked dumping in their area.

Smaller collapses have occurred at Koshe — or “dirty” in the local Amharic language — in the past two years but only two or three people were killed. “In the long run, we will conduct a resettling programme to relocate people who live in and around the landfill,” the Addis Ababa mayor said.

Around 500 waste-pickers are believed to work at the landfill every day, sorting through the debris from the capital’s estimated 4 million residents.
A landslide at a rubbish dump on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, kills at least 48 people.