At least 30 feared dead after Uganda landslides: official

At least 30 people were feared dead, and 20 homes swept as landslide swept eastern Uganda village.[Photo,VOA]

At least 30 people were feared dead after landslides in a village in eastern Uganda, a local official said Thursday, warning the toll could rise.

"We lost about 30 people," Bulambuli district commissioner Faheera Mpalanyi told AFP after landslides struck Masugu village, adding that six bodies, including that of a baby, had been recovered so far.

"Given the devastation and the size of the area affected and from what the affected families are telling us, several people are missing and probably buried in the debris," she said.

The Ugandan prime minister's office said as many as 20 homes were feared to have been swept away.

It issued a disaster alert, writing on X that: "Heavy rains on Wednesday in parts of Uganda have led to disaster situations in many areas".

The East African nation has been battered by heavy rains in recent days, with flooding in the northwest after a tributary of the Nile River burst its banks, causing emergency teams to scramble to rescue stranded motorists.