Fatal rubbish slide in Ethiopia

This item appears on page 19 of the May 2017 issue.

The collapse of a wall of trash at the Koshe Landfill in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, killed at least 113 people on March 11. The massive landfill is home to many people and provides a source of income for scavengers. Many of the dead were killed in their makeshift homes. 

Africa’s first trash-fueled power plant is being built at the landfill. The plant will help reduce the size of the landfill and provide power to the city of four million.