Death toll of Ethiopia landfill collapse soars to 63

The number of people killed in a giant landslide at Ethiopia’s largest rubbish dump outside Addis Ababa rises to at least 63, Communication Minister Negeri Lencho says.

“We have been following up with the accident and so far the death toll has risen to 63,” Lencho says of Saturday’s landslide.

It was not clear what caused Saturday night’s collapse, though residents say the dumping of trash has resumed there in recent months after protests at a newer landfill site.

— Agencies

Police officers secure the perimeter at the scene of a garbage landslide, as excavators aid rescue efforts, on the outskirts of the capital Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Sunday, March 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Elias Meseret)
Police officers secure the perimeter at the scene of a garbage landslide, as excavators aid rescue efforts, on the outskirts of the capital Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Sunday, March 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Elias Meseret)

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