At least thirty-one people have been killed when a landslide rolled down the slopes of Mount Elgon in eastern Uganda, wrecking homes and burying animals. A government official said this today.
Commissioner for Disaster Preparedness and Management, Martin Owor, said the landslides tumbled down onto a small town on the mountain’s slopes on Thursday afternoon.
According to him, most of the people were caught at the trading centre as the landslide pushed huge boulders into a river which burst its banks while the water swept away the people. Owor said relief teams are now combing the area to search and rescue survivors.
The area, about two hundred and fifty kilometers from the capital, Kampala, is close to the border with Kenya and is prone to landslides, having experienced several similar accidents in recent years.
At least one hundred people were killed in a landslide in Bududa in March 2010. In 2012, landslides destroyed three villages in the region. The government’s efforts to move vulnerable people to neighboring districts have faced resistance from residents.
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