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Reuters
A torrent of mud and water swept the houses
A landslide caused by heavy rains in eastern Uganda killed more than 30 people.
It is feared that the death toll will increase if a government rescue team reaches the Mount Elgon area.
A river overflowed and a stream of mud and water swept through villages. Images of the scene show people recovering bodies in the mud and taking them away.
A landslide in the same area, Bududa, killed more than 300 people in 2010.
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- Why would you want to come back after a landslide?
It's a mountainous place with volcanic soils rich in agriculture, but it's also densely populated, putting a lot of pressure on arable land, reports Patience Atuhaire, of the BBC, in the capital, Kampala.
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Reuters
People watched as the bodies were recovered from the mud
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Reuters
Bududa has fertile soils that attract people to the area despite the dangers
After previous disasters, people have been ordered to leave, but many are returning because of the fertility of the land and their attachment to their ancestral homeland.
The Ugandan Red Cross said 36 bodies were found, but a local official quoted by Daily Monitor reported that 40 bodies had already been found.
"The water has sunk with a number of big stones that have destroyed people's homes," said Red Cross spokeswoman Irene Nakasiita, at the AFP news agency.
The Prime Minister's Office sent a team to participate in the search and recovery efforts, which were to continue on Friday on rough and hilly terrain.
