News | International
10 Sep 2024 23:28
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > International

    Investigation into Ugandan landslide ordered as death toll reaches 24

    Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni asks why people are allowed to live in close proximity to an unstable heap of garbage, as rescuers continue to retrieve bodies.


    The death toll from a mountain of rubbish that collapsed in the Ugandan capital of Kampala rose to 24 on Monday as rescuers with excavators continued searching for victims, according to the city authority.

    At least five children are among those killed by the collapse at the Kiteezi landfill on Friday, police told reporters.

    A chunk of garbage from Kampala's only landfill site broke off on Friday evening, crushing and burying homes on the edge of the site as residents slept.

    Kampala city authority spokesman Daniel Nuweabine said the search for survivors was still ongoing.

    "Working with other agencies, we are assessing the situation and helping all those in distress," he said.

    The incident was described as a "national disaster" by Kampala Mayor Erias Lukwago, who warned at the weekend that "many, many more could be still buried in the heap as the rescue operation is ongoing".

    More than 14 people have also been rescued so far, but rainfall has slowed the efforts of rescue teams to find more survivors.

    Irene Nakasiita, a spokeswoman for the Uganda Red Cross, said there was no hope of rescuing more people alive.

    Tents have been set up nearby for those displaced by the landslide, according to the Red Cross.

    Cause named as 'structural failure in waste mass'

    Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni ordered an investigation into the disaster, asking in a series of posts on the social platform X why people were living in close proximity to an unstable heap of garbage.

    "Who allowed people to live near such a potentially hazardous and dangerous heap?" Mr Museveni said, adding that effluent from the site was hazardous enough that people should not be living there.

    The collapse is believed to have been triggered by heavy rainfall.

    The precise details of what happened were unclear, but the city authority said there was a "structural failure in waste mass".

    It was not clear how many people were not accounted for.

    The Kiteezi landfill is a vast rubbish dump site in an impoverished hillside area that receives hundreds of garbage trucks daily.

    It has served as Kampala's only dump for decades.

    Residents have long complained of hazardous waste polluting the environment and posing a danger to residents.

    The city authority has been aiming to decommission it since declaring it full years ago, but no progress has been made on the plan since 2016.

    It is also a kind of no-man's land in the city of 3 million, attractive to women and children who scavenge plastic waste they aim to sell.

    Others have built permanent homes nearby.

    Several areas in Uganda and other parts of East Africa have been battered by heavy rains recently.

    In February 2010, mudslides in the Mount Elgon region of eastern Uganda killed more than 350 people.


    ABC




    © 2024 ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved

     Other International News
     10 Sep: Israeli air strikes leave craters in Gazan tent camp as dozens dead and injured
     10 Sep: Pope Francis holds mass for hundreds of thousands in Timor-Leste
     10 Sep: NATO countries push for powers to defend themselves as Russian drones enter Romanian and Latvian airspace
     10 Sep: In Georgia, Democrats fear a Republican-controlled board could try to 'rig' the 2024 US election
     10 Sep: VMA iconic moments that shaped the early 2000s and why they impact us today
     10 Sep: Billionaire's alleged hit-and-run testing theory only poor people go to jail in Thailand
     10 Sep: Video captures eel escaping from the guts of a fish by swimming out the gills
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Black Ferns 15s coach Alan Bunting is keen to see more Olympic sevens gold medalists jump format for next year's World Cup More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    A devastating blow for more than 200 workers - as two North Island mills confirm closure More...



     Today's News

    International:
    Israeli air strikes leave craters in Gazan tent camp as dozens dead and injured 23:27

    Living & Travel:
    Pope Francis holds mass for hundreds of thousands in Timor-Leste 22:17

    Rugby League:
    The Warriors NRL-W side have made their first signing ahead of their return to the competition next year 21:57

    Soccer:
    All Whites captain Chris Wood believes the side is capable of getting results against top-ranked opposition once again 21:17

    Soccer:
    All Whites captain Chris Wood's delivered a frank assessment of his performance against Mexico 18:57

    Law and Order:
    A Tauranga man has been given seven months home detention - for possessing extreme child sexual exploitation material 18:37

    Law and Order:
    Phillip Polkinghorne's become emotional in court today - as his wife's old emails were read out 18:07

    Cricket:
    The White Ferns will head into next month's T20 World Cup in the UAE with a fresh perspective 17:37

    Motoring:
    Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould is failing to rule out that Josh Addo-Carr misled the club regarding his failed drug test 17:37

    Law and Order:
    A woman will appear in Hamilton District Court accused of being caught drink-driving twice in four hours 17:27


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2024 New Zealand City Ltd