According to authorities on Thursday, landslides buried homes in six villages in eastern Uganda, leaving at least 15 people dead and 113 missing. Fifteen more wounded individuals have been saved and taken to Buluganya Health Centre.
After 40 homes were buried by landslides, the Uganda Red Cross Society reported Thursday that 13 dead had been found and that rescue work was still ongoing.
Authorities anticipate that the death toll may reach 30, according to local media. On Wednesday evening, landslides were caused by heavy rains in the mountainous Bulambuli district, which is located 280 kilometres east of the capital, Kampala.
Although the roads were muddy and the rain was still falling, local officials assured a journalist in the region that an excavator would be sent to help with the rescue efforts.
About 50 acres of farmlands and homesteads dispersed downhill make up the affected region. Social media users posted images and videos of individuals searching for victims by sifting through dirt.
While some of the houses had only their roofs visible above the earth, others were entirely covered in mud. According to the Daily Monitor newspaper, children have made up the majority of the dead collected thus far.
According to MP Irene Muloni, the administration plans to move people out of the landslide-prone area in Bulambuli District.
“Waterfalls are everywhere, and the rainfall is excessive. Let people be evacuated immediately,” she said, urging everyone to seek refuge with relatives and “leave this dangerous place.”
Major roads have been shut off by torrential rains around the nation, according to a disaster alert released by the prime minister's office on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, while on a rescue attempt on the River Nile, where the Pakwach bridge was underwater, two rescue boats overturned.
Source: Africanews.com