Death toll reaches 65 in Ethiopia landfill collapse

ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopian officials say the death toll has risen to 65 after Saturday's collapse of a mountain of garbage in a landfill just outside the capital.

The latest toll issued on Tuesday says 45 of the dead were female. Many victims were women and children as makeshift homes inside the Koshe landfill were buried in debris.

It is not clear how the collapse occurred. Officials say they have already relocated hundreds of people from the landfill, where waste-pickers salvaged items to make a living and others found inexpensive housing.

The first funerals of victims began today.