A landslide hit the Tsadqane Debre Mitmaq St Mary Monastery in Ethiopia's northern Amhara region on Monday morning during an overnight prayer service, killing 14 people and injuring seven others, five of them seriously. The landslide was triggered by heavy rain that lasted throughout the night, according to Dagnachew Azbite, a senior local official. Eleven of the victims were buried at the monastery, while the bodies of the others were returned to their hometowns for burial. The incident is a recurring hazard in Ethiopia during the rainy season, which runs from June to August.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
- Published
Funerals have been held for some of the 14 people killed in a landslide that hit a mountain monastery hosting an overnight prayer session in Ethiopia's northern Amhara region.
asserted
that → publish → region
Rescue efforts for others feared trapped in the debris after a hillside above the Orthodox Church monastery collapsed in the early hours of Monday morning have now been halted.
asserted
hillside → fear → morning
The monastery includes a prayer chamber carved into the mountainside, where the worshippers had gathered for the special prayer service.
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worshippers → include → service
"The land above the cave… slid after the heavy rain that lasted throughout the night," Dagnachew Azbite, a senior local official, told the BBC.
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Azbite → slide → BBC
Seven people had been found injured, five of them seriously, he said.
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he → find → them
The prayer service being held at the Tsadqane Debre Mitmaq St Mary Monastery included a holy water cleansing ritual that is popular among Orthodox Christians seeking spiritual healing for chronic illnesses.
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that → hold → illnesses
"Many of those who died had gathered to receive the holy water," Megabe Hadis Neka Tibeb Ababu, the diocese's general manager, told the Associated Press news agency.
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Ababu → die → agency
Eleven of those who died have been buried at the monastery, while the bodies of the others have been returned to their hometowns for burial, according to Megabe.
uncertain
bodies → die → Megabe
Identifying some of the victims remained a challenge, he said.
asserted
he → identify → victims
Emergency teams, security personnel, healthcare workers and nearby residents had been among those carrying out search and rescue operations at the site, the local authorities said.
asserted
authorities → carry → site
Archbishop Abune Klementos, the head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church's North Shewa Diocese, travelled to the monastery to lead funeral prayers for those killed, pray for the injured and offer comfort to grieving families, the authorities added.
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authorities → travel → families
Landslides are a recurring hazard in Ethiopia during the country's main rainy season, which typically runs from June to August.
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which → recur → August
More than 229 people, including rescuers, were killed by a landslide in the neighbouring Geze Gofa Zone in July 2024, which was one of the country's deadliest weather-related disasters in recent years.
asserted
which → include → years
Over the past two decades, numerous studies have documented a rise in both extreme wet spells and prolonged dry periods across East Africa, external.
asserted
studies → document → Africa
Scientists have repeatedly cautioned that human-driven climate change is making severe weather events - such as intense, long-lasting downpours - more frequent and more severe.
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events → caution → downpours
- Published
Funerals have been held for some of the 14 people killed in a landslide that hit a mountain monastery hosting an overnight prayer session in Ethiopia's northern Amhara region.
asserted
that → publish → region
Rescue efforts for others feared trapped in the debris after a hillside above the Orthodox Church monastery collapsed in the early hours of Monday morning have now been halted.
asserted
hillside → fear → morning
The monastery includes a prayer chamber carved into the mountainside, where the worshippers had gathered for the special prayer service.
asserted
worshippers → include → service
"The land above the cave… slid after the heavy rain that lasted throughout the night," Dagnachew Azbite, a senior local official, told the BBC.
asserted
Azbite → slide → BBC
Seven people had been found injured, five of them seriously, he said.
asserted
he → find → them
The prayer service being held at the Tsadqane Debre Mitmaq St Mary Monastery included a holy water cleansing ritual that is popular among Orthodox Christians seeking spiritual healing for chronic illnesses.
asserted
that → hold → illnesses
"Many of those who died had gathered to receive the holy water," Megabe Hadis Neka Tibeb Ababu, the diocese's general manager, told the Associated Press news agency.
asserted
Ababu → die → agency
Eleven of those who died have been buried at the monastery, while the bodies of the others have been returned to their hometowns for burial, according to Megabe.
uncertain
bodies → die → Megabe
Identifying some of the victims remained a challenge, he said.
asserted
he → identify → victims
Emergency teams, security personnel, healthcare workers and nearby residents had been among those carrying out search and rescue operations at the site, the local authorities said.
asserted
authorities → carry → site
Archbishop Abune Klementos, the head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church's North Shewa Diocese, travelled to the monastery to lead funeral prayers for those killed, pray for the injured and offer comfort to grieving families, the authorities added.
asserted
authorities → travel → families
Landslides are a recurring hazard in Ethiopia during the country's main rainy season, which typically runs from June to August.
asserted
which → recur → August
More than 229 people, including rescuers, were killed by a landslide in the neighbouring Geze Gofa Zone in July 2024, which was one of the country's deadliest weather-related disasters in recent years.
asserted
which → include → years
Over the past two decades, numerous studies have documented a rise in both extreme wet spells and prolonged dry periods across East Africa, external.
asserted
studies → document → Africa
Scientists have repeatedly cautioned that human-driven climate change is making severe weather events - such as intense, long-lasting downpours - more frequent and more severe.
asserted
events → caution → downpours
