Ethiopia to investigate after 27 bodies discovered in Zambia

Ethiopia’s government will investigate the reported deaths of 27 of its citizens found dumped near Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, a discovery that has “alarmed” the United Nations’ migration agency. Zambian police found the bodies of the 27 men on Sunday in Chongwe Ngwerere, a farming area on the outskirts of the capital. They died from suspected hunger and exhaustion, authorities said, and were believed to be migrants from Ethiopia. On Monday, the state Ethiopia News Agency said its country will send experts to the area to confirm the identities of the citizens who reportedly died while attempting to cross into South Africa illegally. Zambian police said preliminary investigations showed the victims were all aged between 20 and 38, and their bodies had been dumped along a road by unknown people. Officers found a 28th man “gasping for breath” and he was taken to hospital. Ethiopian migrants often use Zambia when travelling to countries such as South Africa. On Monday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said it was “profoundly shocked and alarmed” by the discovery. — Aljazeera