Uganda urges evacuation after landslide kills 20, leaves 100 missing

Residents walk past a house buried in mud following flooding and landslides in Masugu on November 28, 2024. [AFP]

Uganda has urged people living in disaster-prone mountainous areas to evacuate immediately after a landslide killed 20 people and left another 100 missing in the eastern district of Bulambuli.

The landslide struck five villages in Bulambuli district on Wednesday night.

Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, who visited the affected area on Friday, called on residents to cooperate with the government, which is committed to addressing such catastrophes through medium- and long-term interventions.

"We urge all survivors and those in vulnerable areas to relocate immediately to Bunambutye (a subcounty in Bulambuli district) for safety," she said in a statement issued Friday night.

She said that the Wednesday night landslide was "triggered by a 10-hour downpour," which buried homes and destroyed crops.

"More than 100 residents are still unaccounted for as rescue operations continue," Nabbanja said.

She announced that the government would provide compensation of 1,350 U.S. dollars for each deceased person and 270 dollars for each injured individual.

Lillian Aber, minister of state for relief, disaster preparedness and refugees, said additional manpower would be deployed to aid the search and rescue efforts.

"Food and non-food items will be provided to the victims by the Office of the Prime Minister and the Uganda Red Cross Society," Aber said, adding that a medical camp would also be established.