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At least 15 dead after landslides bury 40 homes in villages in eastern Uganda  


Rescue workers and people search for bodies after landslides following heavy rains buried 40 homes in the mountainous district of Bulambuli, eastern Uganda, Nov. 28. 2024.
Rescue workers and people search for bodies after landslides following heavy rains buried 40 homes in the mountainous district of Bulambuli, eastern Uganda, Nov. 28. 2024.

At least 15 people have died in eastern Uganda after landslides buried 40 homes in six villages, relief officials said Thursday.

The Uganda Red Cross Society said 13 bodies have been recovered and the rescue effort is continuing.

Local media reported that authorities expect the death toll could rise to 30.

The landslides happened after heavy rains on Wednesday night in the mountainous district of Bulambuli, where landslides are common. The district is about 280 kilometers east of the capital, Kampala.

A journalist in the area told The Associated Press that local officials said an excavator would be brought to assist in the rescue efforts, but the roads were covered in mud and the rain was still falling.

The affected area is about 20 hectares, with homesteads and farmlands spread downhill.

Photos and videos of people digging through mud in search of victims were shared on social media platforms. Some of the houses were completely covered by mud while others had merely a roof showing above mud.

The Daily Monitor newspaper reported that most of the bodies recovered so far were those of children.

The prime minister’s office issued a disaster alert on Wednesday stating that heavy rains across the country had cut off major roads.

Two rescue boats capsized on Wednesday during a rescue mission on River Nile where Pakwach bridge was submerged.

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