The Ethiopian Parliament on Friday declared a three-day national mourning for the victims of the floods and landslides, with the death toll rising to 80, while many are still reported missing, LETA reports citing AFP.
The disaster was caused by heavy rains that hit the remote Gamo region in the south of the country this week.
The House of Representatives announced a three-day mourning period starting Saturday, "in honor of those who lost their lives."
The death of 80 people has been confirmed, but search and rescue operations are ongoing. Police had previously warned that the death toll could exceed one hundred.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), who is himself from Ethiopia, stated on the platform "X" that thousands of people have been displaced due to the disaster.
The WHO "immediately activated an emergency operations team and deployed rapid response teams to the affected areas to support local health authorities," Ghebreyesus said.
"Emergency medical supplies are being prepared for dispatch, including trauma kits, cholera treatment materials, nutritional kits for children, and water purification devices," he added.
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