Catastrophic flooding and landslides in the Eastern Region of Uganda have left at least 10 dead and hundreds homeless after heavy rain caused rivers to overflow.
Uganda Police Force said flooding and landslides struck following heavy rain on the slopes of Mount Elgon late on 30 July 2022. Areas of Mbale, Kapchorwa and Sironko Districts in Eastern Region have all been severely affected. Houses were submerged and crops and roads wiped out.
Uganda Red Cross said several rivers including the Nabuyonga and Namatala overflowed in in Mbale District. According to Uganda Police Force, the floods caused extensive property damage, especially in areas of Namakwekwe and areas of Mbale City where several vehicles and an unknown number of occupants were swept away.
Uganda National Roads Authority reported floods and mudslides had cut several roads including the Mbale—Nkokonjeru Road and the Mbale—Soroti Road.
As of 31 July, Uganda Red Cross reported 7 fatalities in Mbale and 3 in Kapchorwa. More are feared missing and the death toll is likely to rise.
Teams from the Red Cross are working with the community and district disaster management committees of the affected areas to support the victims. However, Red Cross said rescue efforts in some of the areas are futile since the roads are impassable.
Uganda's Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Nabbanja Robinah, visited Mbale to assess the damage.
The number of people killed in flash floods in the eastern Ugandan city of Mbale has jumped to 22, including a group of partygoers who became trapped in a minibus, police said on Monday.
Two rivers burst their banks at the weekend after the city was battered by heavy rainfall, leading to mudslides that inflicted widespread damage and left hundreds of residents homeless.
A combined force of police, the army and the Red Cross were continuing to search for the missing in the muddy floodwaters that have swallowed up homes, bridges, shops, and roads.
"The death toll of those killed by floods in Mbale has reached 22. Ten others are in critical condition," Ugandan police spokesman Fred Enanga told AFP.
Some of the victims were found trapped in a minibus, he said, adding: "These were mainly relatives and friends who were going to a party but were swept off the road by the floods."
An AFP reporter saw five dead bodies being pulled from the submerged minibus as search teams hunted around the ill-fated vehicle for more possible victims.
Enanga said residents have been advised to relocate to safer areas as the rains continue to lash the city, which lies about 300 kilometres (180 miles) northeast of the capital Kampala.
Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, who visited the scene of the flooding, had suggested the disaster may have been avoided if people had not encroached on the river banks.
Mbale District, which is home to Mbale city, has a population of over 500,000, according to the 2020 census, and is one of Uganda's densely populated areas.
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