Landslide in Eastern Uganda Claims 17 Lives as Rescue Efforts Continue

A landslide in Bulambuli district, Uganda, has led to 17 confirmed deaths and over 100 missing individuals. The disaster was triggered by heavy rains that buried 45 households and left large areas in devastation. Rescue operations are underway, but the government is urging residents in high-risk areas to relocate as natural disasters grow more frequent due to environmental factors.

The tragic outcome of a landslide in eastern Uganda has resulted in a reported death toll of 17, with over 100 individuals currently missing. This disaster occurred in Bulambuli district due to relentless heavy rain that struck the area on Wednesday. Eyewitness footage displays the extensive destruction as entire communities, inclusive of homes and educational institutions, have been entombed by a thick layer of mud, leaving survivors in despair while rescue teams labor to locate potential survivors amid the debris.

Charles Odongtho, spokesperson for the Office of the Prime Minister, expressed his disbelief at the scale of the tragedy, emphasizing the government’s prior warnings to residents residing in areas vulnerable to such disasters. According to the Uganda Red Cross Society, at least 45 households have been entirely engulfed, with others sustaining partial damage. A lawmaker from Elgon County, Ignatius Wamakuyu Mudimi, mournfully reported the loss of his niece and her newborn child, who were both buried in the landslide.

In response to the ongoing tragedies caused by landslides, the Ugandan government has urged residents in at-risk areas to relocate to safer regions. The Red Cross and police are currently engaged in a search-and-rescue operation to assist the affected individuals. The East African region has only recently suffered from extraordinary rainfall, which has led to heightened flooding and landslides across various locations. Furthermore, heavy rainfall has caused the River Nile to overflow, impacting critical transport routes within the nation.

As deforestation and land degradation increase the susceptibility of the region to landslides, concerns over the long-term impacts of climate change are also being raised. The mountainous terrains of Uganda are no strangers to landslides, with a notable incident occurring in 2010 that resulted in approximately 80 fatalities. Nevertheless, the governmental authorities are working to mitigate the consequences of such natural disasters and support those who have been left in devastation.

Nations such as Uganda are prone to natural disasters like landslides, particularly during seasonal rainfalls. The frequency and intensity of landslides have heightened in recent years, largely due to environmental degradation. Deforestation for agricultural expansion reduces the stability of the soil on steep slopes, thus making communities increasingly vulnerable to such catastrophic events. The Ugandan government has been actively communicating warnings to those in high-risk areas, yet the effectiveness of these warnings can sometimes fall short, as seen in the recent tragedy in Bulambuli district.

The recent landslide in eastern Uganda highlights the grave consequences of natural disasters exacerbated by environmental factors. With a death toll of 17 and many individuals still unaccounted for, the community is in mourning, and the government is compelled to intensify its disaster management preparations. Calls for relocating households from landslide-prone zones serve as a crucial reminder of the need for sustainable environmental practices and reinforced early warning systems to better safeguard the population against such tragedies in the future.

Original Source: dunyanews.tv