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Kampala (AFP) – At least 31 people have been found dead in eastern Uganda after a landslide caused by heavy rains, a government official said Friday.
"The number of confirmed deaths to date is 31 people," said AFP Martin Owor, Commissioner in charge of disaster preparedness.
The disaster occurred on Thursday and also involved a river flowing into the town of Bukalasi in Bududa district, causing muddy water to float through a market.
Nathan Tumuhamye, director of an organization that helps communities recover from natural disasters and conflicts, told AFP that "four to five villages" and possibly a primary school had been affected.
Ugandan Red Cross spokeswoman Irene Nakasiita shared Thursday footage of what she described as a "massive landslide" on WhatsApp, including images of dismembered corpses covered with mud in the mud by the river.
Some of the bodies were partially covered with banana leaves by members of the public.
"I have received the sad news that landslides have ravaged the Bududa district, making a number of residents still to be clarified.The government has sent relief teams to the affected areas," wrote President Yoweri Museveni on Twitter.
The district of Bududa, located at the foot of Mount Elgon, on the border between Uganda and Kenya, is an area at high risk of landslides.
At least 100 people were reported killed during a landslide in Bududa in March 2010 and in 2012, three villages were destroyed.
Government efforts to move vulnerable people to neighboring districts have faced resistance from residents.
