In Uganda, the police reported on Sunday August 11 that 18 people had died following the collapse of a rubbish dump in the capital Kampala. The incident occurred on Saturday August 10, following heavy rainfall in the city over the past few days.
The landfill, located north of Kampala, collapsed on houses built below the impressive mountain of garbage.
The number of people swallowed up was not specified, but was thought to be several dozens, along with livestock, according to witnesses.
Kampala police spokesman Patrick Onyango said at the scene of the tragedy that 14 bodies had been found on Saturday, and four more on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 18. He also said that 14 people had been rescued, adding that the search was continuing.
The disaster occurred in the early hours of Saturday, on the 14-hectare site known to the city’s authorities for its dangerous nature.
The mayor of Kampala, Erias Lukwago, said the landfill “was full to bursting”, before asserting that “this is a disaster and it was bound to happen.”
Eight months ago, another Ugandan official from the Kampala Capital city Authority (KCCA), which manages the site, described the situation around the landfill as a “national crisis”.