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A landslide triggered by heavy overnight rainfall killed 14 people in Ethiopia's Amhara region on 3 August 2026.
It struck the Tsadqane Debre Mitmaq St Mary Monastery in the North Shewa Zone, where worshippers had gathered for a holy water ritual.
Seven people were injured and an unknown number remained unaccounted for as search operations continued.
The site, Sela Dingay, lies about 200 km northeast of the capital Addis Ababa.
Ethiopia's main rainy season runs from June to late September, when landslide risk in its highlands is highest.
A landslide occurs when the downslope pull of gravity exceeds the strength holding a slope together. Prolonged rain does this in two ways at once: water fills the pore spaces between soil particles, raising pore water pressure and reducing the friction that binds them, while the added water also makes the slope mass heavier. The Ethiopian highlands are especially vulnerable because they combine steep terrain, deeply weathered volcanic soils and a concentrated wet season — the Kiremt rains from June to September deliver the bulk of the annual total in a few months. Deforestation and cultivation on steep slopes remove the root networks that would otherwise hold soil in place. The result is a predictable seasonal pattern: Ethiopia has suffered repeated deadly landslides during these months, including the Gofa disaster of 2024 in which more than two hundred people died.
Simple Analogy: A dry slope is a stack of sandbags held together by friction. Soak it and the bags become both heavier and more slippery — at some point the stack cannot hold itself up.
GS Paper I > World geography, physical features and natural hazards; GS Paper III > Disaster management
General Awareness > World geography and current affairs
General Awareness > World geography
A region in northern Ethiopia; the landslide occurred in its North Shewa Zone.
The pressure of water held between soil particles, which reduces the friction holding a slope together as it rises.
Ethiopia's main rainy season, running from June to September.
The northeastern projection of Africa comprising Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia.
A large hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile, a long-standing source of dispute with Egypt and Sudan.