People and livestock have been buried under mountains of waste at the Kiteezi dumpsite in Uganda following a landslide triggered by heavy rains on Saturday.
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The death toll from a massive landfill collapse in the Ugandan capital Kampala on Saturday (August 11) has risen to 12, police said on Sunday. Local media reported that homes, people and livestock were submerged under mountains of waste at the landfill in Kiteezi, a district north of Kampala, following the landslide triggered by heavy rains.
“We have so far recovered 12 bodies from the garbage heap and rescued 14 people alive”Kampala police spokesman Patrick Onyango told AFP, adding that the search was continuing. The previous report, released Saturday by the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), which manages the site, put the death toll at eight, including two children. “The rescue operation will continue until we are sure that no one is trapped under the rubbish”he said, adding that several animals had been rescued alive, including a dog.
The disaster occurred in the early hours of Saturday.We estimate that around 1,000 people have been displaced by the incident and we are currently working with other government agencies and community leaders to see how we can help those affected.”said Patrick Onyango. Kampala Mayor Erias Lukwago told AFP on Saturday that the 14-hectare Kiteezi dumpsite was full to bursting. “It’s a disaster and it had to happen”he added. Eight months ago, a KCCA official had described the situation at the dump as “national crisis”.
