KAMPALA (Reuters) – At least 13 people have died in rural eastern Uganda after a landslide triggered by heavy rains buried dozens of homes, the Red Cross said Thursday.
The landslide occurred on Wednesday in Bulambuli district, about 300 km (190 miles) east of the capital Kampala.
At least 40 households were completely buried, the Uganda Red Cross Society said in a statement, while others were partially damaged.
“So far, 13 bodies have been recovered by Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) team, working in collaboration with local authorities and community members,” it said.
Uganda has been hit by unusually heavy rainfall since October that has triggered widespread flooding and landslides in some areas.
On Tuesday torrential rains caused the River Nile to burst its banks and flood a highway connecting Kampala to the country’s northwest, according to the Uganda National Roads Authority and police.
Large swathes on the slopes of Ugandan mountains have been denuded of their forests and other vegetation cover for cultivable land, increasing the risk of landslides.
The area where the landslide occurred is mountainous and has experienced similar disasters in the past, including an avalanche in 2010 that killed at least 80 people.
(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Ammu Kannampilly and Angus MacSwan)
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