KAMPALA (Reuters) – The death toll from a landslide at a large garbage dump in Uganda's capital, Kampala, has risen to 13, police said on Sunday, as rescuers continued to dig out survivors.
After heavy rains for the past few weeks, a pile of waste erupted at the city's only waste disposal site on Friday, breaking through and burying homes on the edge of the site while residents slept.
On Saturday, the Kampala Capital City Authority put the death toll at eight.
“The latest we have is 13 dead, but the rescue team is continuing,” said police spokesperson Patrick Onyango.
At least 14 people have been rescued so far, he said, adding that many are still trapped but the number is unknown.
Tents have been set up near those displaced by the landslides, the Uganda Red Cross said.
The dump, known as Kiteezi, has served as Kampala's dumping ground for decades and has become a huge hill. Residents have long been complaining about hazardous waste that pollutes the environment and poses a danger to residents.
Efforts by city authorities to find a new landfill site dragged on for years.
There have been similar disasters in other parts of Africa from poorly managed municipal waste mounds.
In 2017 at least 115 people were killed in Ethiopia, crushed by a landslide at a garbage dump in Addis Ababa. In Mozambique, at least 17 people died in a similar disaster in 2018 in Maputo.
