Funerals have been held for some of the 14 people killed in a landslide that struck a mountain monastery hosting an overnight prayer session in Ethiopia's northern Amhara region.
Rescue efforts for people feared trapped beneath the debris have now ended after a hillside above the Orthodox Church monastery collapsed in the early hours of Monday.
The Tsadqane Debre Mitmaq St Mary Monastery includes a prayer chamber carved into the mountainside, where worshippers had gathered for a special prayer service.
"The land above the cave… slid after the heavy rain that lasted throughout the night," senior local official Dagnachew Azbite told the BBC.
Seven people were injured in the incident, five of them seriously, he said.
The prayer service included a holy water cleansing ritual that is popular among Orthodox Christians seeking spiritual healing for chronic illnesses.
"Many of those who died had gathered to receive the holy water," the diocese's general manager, Megabe Hadis Neka Tibeb Ababu, told the Associated Press.
According to Megabe, 11 of the victims have been buried at the monastery, while the remaining bodies were returned to their hometowns for burial.
He added that identifying some of the victims remained a challenge.
Emergency teams, security personnel, healthcare workers and nearby residents participated in search and rescue operations at the site.
Archbishop Abune Klementos, head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church's North Shewa Diocese, led funeral prayers for the victims, prayed for the injured and offered support to grieving families.
Landslides are a recurring hazard in Ethiopia during the country's main rainy season, which typically runs from June to August.
In March, more than 100 people were killed in floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in the southern Gamo Zone.
In July 2024, more than 229 people, including rescuers, died in a landslide in the neighbouring Geze Gofa Zone, one of Ethiopia's deadliest weather-related disasters in recent years.
Scientists have warned that human-driven climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of severe weather events, including prolonged heavy rainfall across East Africa.
