Written by Elias Biryabarima
KAMPALA (Reuters) – The death toll from a landslide at a large rubbish dump in the Ugandan capital Kampala has risen to 17, a Red Cross official said on Sunday, as rescue workers continued to search for survivors.
After heavy rains in recent weeks, a massive pile of garbage collapsed at the city’s only landfill site late Friday, crushing and burying homes on the edge of the site as residents slept.
Four more bodies were recovered on Sunday, bringing the total to 17, said Uganda Red Cross spokeswoman Irene Nakasiita.
Earlier on Sunday, police spokesman Patrick Onyango said the death toll had reached 13, higher than the eight deaths reported by the Kampala Capital City Authority on Saturday.
President Yoweri Museveni said in a statement that he had directed the prime minister to coordinate the removal of all residents near the dump.
The government has also launched investigations into the cause of the landslide and will take action against any officials found negligent, the state inspectorate said on Sunday.
Onyango said at least 14 people have been rescued so far, adding that more people may still be trapped but the number is unknown.
The Red Cross said tents had been set up nearby to accommodate people displaced by the landslide.
The landfill known as Kiteze was the only landfill site in Kampala for decades and has now turned into a large mound. Residents have long complained about the hazardous waste that pollutes the environment and poses a threat to residents.
City authorities have been trying to secure a new landfill site for years.
Similar tragedies have occurred elsewhere in Africa as a result of mountains of poorly managed municipal waste.
In 2017, at least 115 people were killed in Ethiopia after being crushed by a landslide of rubbish in Addis Ababa. In Mozambique, at least 17 people were killed in a similar disaster in Maputo in 2018.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.