Locals dig through mud by hand in desperate search for the missing after more than 257 people were killed in the disaster. Gofa Zone, Ethiopia – For days, retired teacher Meaza Tadelu has been holding on to hope that his missing wife may still be alive. Barefoot and distraught, the frail 66-year-old looked on as younger volunteers dug through mud and earth in search of survivors in his village in Ethiopia’s Gofa Zone. Like most of the villagers, Tadelu has had barely any sleep all week. At night, Tadelu said he grapples with sleeplessness as he cannot help replaying the natural disaster that wrecked his life.
