The de@th toll from a landslide triggered by heavy rain in eastern Uganda has climbed to 17, a government spokesperson said on Friday, with more than 100 others m!ssing.
The landslide occurred on Wednesday in Bulambuli district, about 300 km (190 miles) east of the capital Kampala, and buried dozens of homes across several villages.
Footage on local television showed vast areas covered in deep mud where homes and schools once stood. Survivors wailed for missing loved ones as rescue workers dug through the sludge in search of survivors.
Charles Odongtho, spokesman for the Office of the Prime Minister, which oversees disaster response work, said the government had warned people living in risk-prone areas about possible landslides at the onset of seasonal rains.
He told Reuters he was shocked by the de@th toll considering the early warning system in place.
At least 45 households were completely buried, the Uganda Red Cross Society said in a statement, while others were partially damaged.
Ignatius Wamakuyu Mudimi, a lawmaker in Elgon County, said his niece who had recently given birth was among the victims.
“She was buri3d with the baby,” he said in footage shown on Uganda’s NTV broadcaster.
The Ugandan government has directed citizens living in landslide-prone areas to relocate. The Red Cross and police are conducting a search-and-rescue operation.
The East African nation has been hit by unusually heavy rainfall since October that has triggered widespread flooding and landslides in some areas.
