Uganda Landslide Claims Five People, Dozens Others Missing

Five people have died and dozens are missing after heavy rains triggered a series of landslides in eastern Uganda’s mountainous Bududa district, the Red Cross said on Wednesday.

The organisation said that around 50 people were believed missing and 150 houses destroyed after the landslides on Tuesday night in the foothills of Mount Elgon — an extinct volcano with five major peaks.

“Five confirmed dead,” said Uganda Red Cross spokeswoman Irene Nakasiita, adding these included a 73-year-old woman and several children.

“There were multiple landslides,” in Bududa district, “but for now Red Cross has concentrated in the worst-hit areas”, she said in a statement.

“The local Red Cross branch volunteers together with the local police joined efforts and retrieved the bodies. The affected areas have steep slopes. It is threatening to rain again (and) accessibility is still a challenge,” she added.

Local lawmaker Godfrey Watenga told the landslides had taken place late on Tuesday evening.