Rescue teams have recovered the bodies of 157 individuals from two landslides in southern Ethiopia, according to a local official who spoke to the BBC.

The landslides took place on Sunday evening and Monday morning following intense rainfall in a remote mountainous region of the Gofa zone.

The local authorities have reported that the search for survivors is ongoing and expressed concern that the death toll might rise.

Videos from the scene show hundreds of people gathered and others digging through the earth in an attempt to find those trapped.

In the footage, a hillside appears partially collapsed, exposing a large area of red soil.

Dagmawi Ayele, the chief administrator of Goza zone, informed the BBC that both adults and children were among the deceased, and ten survivors are currently receiving medical care in a hospital.

Mr. Dagmawi explained that the initial landslide occurred on Sunday, and while police, teachers, and local villagers were engaged in rescue efforts on Monday, a second landslide struck, burying them as well.

"We are still digging," he told the BBC.

Gofa is situated in Southern Ethiopia, approximately 320km (199 miles) southwest of the capital, Addis Ababa.

According to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Southern Ethiopia has recently experienced particularly severe rainfall and flooding.

However, landslides and floods have been recurring issues for some time. In May 2016, severe rains caused floods and landslides that resulted in the deaths of at least 50 people in the southern region of the country.

Various factors contribute to flooding, but climate change-induced warming increases the likelihood of extreme rainfall.

Since the onset of the industrial era, global temperatures have risen by about 1.2°C, and they are expected to continue increasing unless substantial reductions in emissions are achieved globally.