Torrential rains set off lethal landslide at a Kampala landfill, burying properties in Uganda’s capital.
A landslide at a garbage dump in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, has killed a minimum of 18 folks, authorities have reported as they proceed to seek for survivors.
Police introduced the demise toll on Sunday, two days after torrential rain broke off an enormous chunk of garbage at Kiteezi, the town’s solely landfill web site. The landslide buried people, livestock and homes as residents slept.
Authorities had reported eight confirmed deaths on Saturday, however the variety of casualties has risen as rescuers dig for survivors.
Authorities mentioned on Sunday that the demise toll had risen to 18, in line with the Related Press.
“The rescue operation remains to be ongoing till we’re certain nobody is trapped,” police spokesperson Patrick Onyango mentioned, in line with AFP.
Fourteen folks have been rescued in addition to a number of animals, he added, cautioning that extra folks might nonetheless be trapped.
“In our estimation, about 1,000 folks have been displaced by the incident, and [we are] presently working with different businesses of presidency and the group management to see how you can assist the affected folks,” he mentioned.
The Uganda Crimson Cross mentioned tents have been arrange close to the positioning for these displaced by the landslide.
Kiteezi has served as Kampala’s sole garbage dump for many years, which has turned it into an enormous hill. Residents have usually complained about hazardous waste polluting the setting and posing a hazard.
Kampala Mayor Erias Lukwago mentioned on Saturday that the landfill was at capability. “This can be a catastrophe and was sure to occur,” he mentioned.
Related incidents have taken place round sub-Saharan Africa as a result of poorly managed mountains of garbage.
In 2017, a minimum of 115 folks had been killed in Ethiopia, crushed by a landslide at a landfill in Addis Ababa.
In Mozambique, a minimum of 17 folks died in an identical catastrophe in Maputo in 2018.
