Death toll rises to at least 15 after landslides bury 40 homes in eastern Uganda

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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — At least 15 people have died and 113 others are missing after landslides buried homes in six villages in eastern Uganda, police said Thursday.

Another 15 injured people have been rescued and admitted to Buluganya Health Center.

The Uganda Red Cross Society said Thursday that 13 bodies had been recovered after landslides buried 40 homes and the rescue effort was continuing. Local media reported that authorities expect the death toll could rise to 30.

Heavy rains triggered landslides in the mountainous district of Bulambuli, 280 kilometers east of Kampala, the capital, on Wednesday night.

Local officials told a journalist in the area that an excavator would be brought to assist in the rescue efforts, but the roads were covered in mud and rain was still falling.

The impacted area is about 50 acres with homesteads and farmlands spread downhill.

Photos and videos of people digging through mud in search of victims were shared on social media. Some of the houses were completely covered by mud while others only had a roof showing above the ground.

The Daily Monitor newspaper reported that most of the bodies recovered so far were those of children.

Bulambuli District Woman MP Irene Muloni said that the government intends to relocate residents from the landslide-prone area.

“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.”

The prime minister’s office issued a disaster alert on Wednesday stating that heavy rains across the country had cut off major roads.

Two rescue boats capsized on Wednesday during a rescue mission on River Nile where Pakwach bridge was submerged.

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