The devastating landslide at a massive garbage dump in Uganda’s capital has claimed the lives of at least 21 people, authorities confirmed on Sunday.
Rescue teams are tirelessly searching through the rubble for survivors trapped beneath the collapsed waste.
Torrential rains in recent weeks destabilized the towering mound of garbage at Kampala’s sole landfill, causing it to collapse late Friday night.
Homes situated on the dump’s edge were crushed as residents slept, leaving many unaccounted for.
In response to the catastrophe, President Yoweri Museveni has ordered the evacuation of all residents living near the landfill.
A government investigation into the landslide’s cause is underway, with promises of accountability for any negligence.
Despite rescuing 14 individuals from the disaster, police fear the number of trapped victims remains unknown.
Emergency shelters have been established to accommodate those displaced by the landslide, as aid organizations work to provide essential assistance.
The Kiteezi landfill has been Kampala’s only waste disposal site for decades, growing into a hazardous behemoth.
Residents have long voiced concerns about the environmental risks and danger posed by the dump.
The city’s ongoing efforts to secure a new landfill site have faced significant delays.
Tragically, this is not an isolated incident. Similar disasters linked to poorly managed waste have occurred in other African nations.
In 2017, over a hundred people perished in a garbage landslide in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.
Mozambique also experienced a fatal landfill collapse in 2018.