ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- A landslide in Southern regional state of Ethiopia has left at least 12 people dead, state media Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC) said on Tuesday.

Altaye Alemu, chief administrator of Esera locality, Southern regional state, said heavy rains on Tuesday morning led to the landslide that killed at least 12 people and severely injured four others, reported FBC.

Alemu further said an undetermined number of houses have been buried and tens of thousands of U.S. dollars' worth of property were damaged as a result of the landslide.

Police and the local community are currently clearing landslide debris as they look for signs of people who could be buried underneath the disaster area.

In August, the Ethiopia Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission warned that heavy rainfall during the current rainy season that will extend until end of September is likely to trigger landslides and flashfloods. Enditem