Ethiopian Nile dam manager found dead in his car

The project manager of Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam was found dead in the capital Addis Ababa on Thursday, state media reported.

Semegnew Bekele was discovered dead inside his car at Meskel Square in Addis Ababa. It said the body was taken to a hospital to determine the cause of death.

Police in Ethiopia is investigating the death of engineer Simegnew Bekele, the man leading the Grand Renaissance Dam project, who was found in a car in the main square of the capital, Addis Ababa.

The cause of death is not yet known.

Semegnew is credited for managing the construction of hydroelectric dams in Ethiopia.

He had downplayed Egypt’s fear that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will reduce Egypt’s share of Nile River water. Ethiopia maintains the dam is needed for development, pointing out that 60 million citizens don’t have access to electricity.

The Nile River dam is now more than 63 per cent complete. Once finished, it will generate about 6,400 megawatts, more than doubling Ethiopia’s current production of 4,000 megawatts