Death toll reaches 65 in Ethiopia landfill collapse

Mar 14, 20170

Relatives mourn as they lift portraits of family members they lost in the collapse of a mountain of trash at a garbage dump, during a funeral service held at the Gebrekristos church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Monday, March 13, 2017. The death toll reached more than 60 on Monday from the collapse at the dump on the outskirts of the capital, according to the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate, as relatives waited for news of the dozens of people said to be missing. (Mulugeta Ayene/Associated Press)

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopian officials say the death toll has risen to 65 after Saturday’s collapse of a mountain of garbage in a landfill just outside the capital.

The latest toll issued Tuesday says 45 of the dead were female. Many victims were women and children as makeshift homes inside the Koshe landfill were buried in debris.

It is not clear how the collapse occurred. Officials say they have already relocated hundreds of people from the landfill, where waste-pickers salvaged items to make a living and others found inexpensive housing.

©AP