Three people have been buried alive after a landslide in Bugoye sub-county in Busongora North Constituency, Kasese district, hit their house following a heavy downpour that lasted for hours.
Vincent Weseje, the Rwenzori West police spokesperson, stated while speaking to the media that several others were injured and many residents have lost their homes due to the landslide.
“Several residents are seeking shelter at the sub-county headquarters where the bodies of the deceased are being kept because the roads are impassable to take them to the mortuary,” Weseje said.
Weseje noted that several others were seriously affected, not only in Kasase district but also in Bunyagabu district.
According to the Uganda Red Cross Society, at least four people in Bunyagabu district died due to landslides and two others were injured on Thursday, May 3, 2024.
The Red Cross Society has also reported that multiple landslides are destroying 26 homes in Kasese and that more than 200 households are at risk.
The Western Uganda District has continued to grapple with landslides, and it must be recalled that in September 2022, more than 15 people lost their lives to multiple landslides triggered by heavy rainfall.
These were part of a series of floods in Western Uganda and were among many such incidents across Africa.
In neighbouring Kenya, floods and landslides are expected to continue to be a significant concern due to El Niño rains and climate change, as predicted by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s (IGAD) Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), which calls for immediate action in the East African countries to prevent further loss of life and damage to infrastructure.
