Africa

Africa

Fifteen dead, more than 100 missing in east Uganda landslide-UPDATED

28 November 2024 22:20 (UTC +04:00)

Fifteen people have died and at least 100 more are missing after a landslide triggered by heavy rains buried dozens of homes across several villages in eastern Uganda, the prime minister's office and police said on Thursday, APA reports citing Reuters.

The landslide occurred on Wednesday in Bulambuli district, about 300 km (190 miles) east of the capital Kampala.

At least 40 households were completely buried, the Uganda Red Cross Society said in a statement, while others were partially damaged.

"We have 15 dead and fears are that there are many more bodies still buried," said Charles Odongtho, spokesman for the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) which overseas disaster response work.

He added that more than 100 people were still missing across eight villages.

"We are shocked that it was this devastating," Odongtho said. He said all bridges in the area had been swept away and roads inundated by water.

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Twalla, the assistant chief administrative officer for Bulambuli, told Xinhua over the phone that the landslides swept through three sub-counties on Wednesday night, burying around 40 houses, APA reports.

"I can confirm that nine bodies have so far been recovered this morning. The residents are still digging the soil and we expect to recover more bodies because many houses were buried," Twalla said.

"We expect the government to send in official search and rescue teams as well as humanitarian assistance in the form of food and temporary shelters," he added.

The landslides were triggered by days of heavy downpour in the mountainous region, said Twalla.