The death toll from Wednesday’s landslides in eastern Uganda climbed to 20 on Friday as rescue teams recovered more bodies from the mud and one injured victim died in hospital, officials reported.
Heavy rains triggered the landslides that devastated six villages in the mountainous Bulambuli district, located 280 kilometers east of Kampala. The disaster destroyed 125 houses and displaced 750 people, with 216 taking shelter at a neighboring school while others stayed with relatives, according to the Uganda Red Cross Society.
“More bodies are still buried under the heaps of soils and stones and we are trying as much as we can to recover them,” said Bulambuli Resident District Commissioner Faheera Mpalanyi. The military has deployed soldiers to assist with excavation efforts.
Local officials reported difficulties accessing the approximately 50-acre impact zone, with mud-covered roads and continuing rainfall hampering rescue operations. An excavator planned for the recovery work has struggled to reach the area, where homesteads and farmlands spread across the downhill terrain.
“Waterfalls are everywhere, and the rainfall is excessive,” said Bulambuli district lawmaker Irene Muloni, who urged residents who lost homes to seek refuge with relatives and “leave this dangerous place.” The government has pledged to help relocate residents from the landslide-prone region.
