On Wednesday, six additional bodies, including those of two children, were recovered from the site of a major garbage landslide in Kampala, Uganda.
This has raised the confirmed death toll to 30. The disaster occurred at the Kiteezi landfill on Saturday, where the collapse buried numerous people, homes, and livestock under piles of waste.
Authorities reported that by 5:30 p.m. local time, the total number of bodies found had reached 30. The latest victims included a three-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl, according to the updated list of recovered individuals.
Earlier, the spokesperson for Kampala metropolitan police reported that 26 people had died, with 39 others still missing, including 35 local residents and four waste collectors.
Excavators are actively sifting through the large piles of debris in Kiteezi, where the search for survivors is ongoing, often interrupted by heavy rains.
Authorities noted that 120 individuals are currently sheltered in a nearby school, and it is feared that 33 homes were consumed by the landslide that occurred after severe rainfall in the area.
Kampala city mayor Erias Lukwago has called the event a “national disaster” and warned that “many more might still be trapped in the rubble.”
Lukwago had earlier raised alarms about the dangers of waste overflow from the site, which has been in operation since 1996 and handles nearly all of Kampala’s garbage.
President Yoweri Museveni announced on Sunday that he had dispatched the army’s special forces to assist with the search and rescue efforts and questioned why people were allowed to live near such a “potentially dangerous site.”
Museveni also stated that he had arranged for compensation payments of five million Ugandan shillings ($1,300) for each deceased individual and one million shillings ($270) for each person injured.
Residents at the landfill site have expressed frustration with the authorities, alleging that they were aware of the dangers but did not take adequate measures.
Local leader Abubaker Semuwemba Lwanyaga criticized officials, suggesting they should “take responsibility for their oversight.”
He added that the government should have relocated residents before setting up the landfill and provided compensation rather than waiting for a disaster to occur.
Heavy rainfall has recently affected various regions in Uganda and East Africa, including Ethiopia, the continent’s second most populous country.
Last month, severe landslides in southern Ethiopia resulted in around 250 deaths.
Additionally, mudslides in the Mount Elgon area of eastern Uganda in February 2010 led to over 350 fatalities.
As recovery operations proceed, there is a growing demand for accountability and effective measures to prevent future disasters. The focus is now on ensuring that support is provided to affected families and that steps are taken to enhance safety and preparedness in vulnerable areas.
