KAMPALA, Uganda — Heavy rains in the hills of eastern Uganda caused flooding that ripped up river banks and submerged homes and roads, killing at least 10 people, the Red Cross said on Sunday.
The victims of the downpour on Saturday evening lived in the neighboring neighborhoods of Kapchorwa and Mbale. Videos from the scene showed terrified people writhing for safety as water levels rose in a village, toppling houses and knocking down banana trees.
The death toll is likely to rise, with local journalists claiming to have spotted bodies swept away by the torrent.
“This disaster is due to environmental degradation,” Ugandan Prime Minister Robinah Nabanja told reporters from Mbale, adding that Ugandan security officials had been called in to help with the rescue efforts. “How many people are going to die like this? »
Other problems are feared to come as the rainy season has just started.
Mbale and neighboring districts are particularly vulnerable to deaths from flooding as many residents have built homes along rivers and in the rugged foothills of Mount Elgon.
Although hundreds of people have answered the government’s call to be relocated over the years, some continue to resist, saying they are not comfortable leaving their ancestral lands.
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