ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

The death toll from the devastating landslides in southern Ethiopia could climb to 500, UN said on Thursday.

Some 257 were already declared dead, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement.

Triggered by heavy rains on July 21 and 22 in the Gezei Gofa Woreda, the landslides have left over 15,000 people in urgent need of evacuation, said the statement.

OCHA also said that an inter-agency humanitarian assessment team has reached the disaster site and is currently supporting response coordination through the established Emergency Coordination Center.

In a separate statement, the UN conveyed a message from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressing deep sadness over the devastating landslide.

"The United Nations and its partners are working closely with the Government, evaluating the humanitarian situation to determine the extent of the damage and assess the humanitarian needs of the affected population," the UN said.

Local authorities are calling for urgent help as the devastation mounts due to a lack of well-capacitated machinery and rescue workers. The steep landscape of the location is making the situation worse, as most rescue efforts involve hand digging.

Among the dead are a local official, rescue workers, teachers, police officers, health workers, and others who had reached the area earlier to help but were caught in a surprise second landslide.

The disaster struck on Monday as people gathered to see the aftermath of the heavy rain late Sunday night, and the landslide buried the crowd under rubble, said an official from the Zonal Communications Directorate.

Massive fundraising activities are ongoing across the nation to support those affected by the disaster.

Landslides in southern Ethiopia are recurrent during the rainy season, which runs from June to August.