The death toll from a landslide at a sprawling rubbish dump in Uganda's capital Kampala has risen to 13, police said Sunday, as rescue workers continued to dig for survivors.
After heavy rains in recent weeks, a mound of rubbish from the city's only landfill collapsed Friday night, crushing and burying homes on the edge of the site as residents slept.
On Saturday, Kampala Capital City Authority said the death toll had reached eight. “The latest figures we have are 13 dead, but rescue efforts are still ongoing,” police spokesman Patrick Onyango said.
At least 14 people have been rescued so far, he said, adding that many more were trapped but the number was not yet known.
Tents have been set up near the site for those displaced by the landslide, the Uganda Red Cross said.
The dump, known as Kiteezi, has been Kampala's only garbage dump for decades and has turned into a large hill. Residents have long complained about the hazardous waste polluting the environment and posing a danger to residents.
The city's efforts to find a new landfill site have been ongoing for years. There have been similar tragedies elsewhere in Africa due to the accumulation of poorly managed municipal waste.
In 2017, at least 115 people were killed in Ethiopia, buried by a landslide at a rubbish dump in Addis Ababa. In Mozambique, at least 17 people were killed in a similar disaster in 2018 in Maputo. (my/lt)
