Death toll of garbage dump landslide in Uganda climbs to 18

The death toll of the garbage dump landslide in Kampala city's Kawempe Division, central Uganda, has climbed to 18, said Lillian Aber, the minister of state for relief, disaster preparedness and refugees, on Sunday, reported Xinhua.

She told Xinhua over the phone that a total of 18 bodies had so far been retrieved.

On Saturday, the death toll from the landslide stood at eight, according to earlier reports.

"People are working all the time and trying to retrieve more bodies if there are any," she said.

"The government has brought in food, shelter, security, and they are trying to relocate the survivors to safer places," the minister added.

Earlier, the Kampala Capital City Authority, the manager of the city waste, said the landslide which occurred Saturday morning came after a structural failure in waste mass.

"The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Landfill in Kiteezi has had a structural failure in waste mass this morning, resulting in a collapsed section of the landfill," the KCCA said in a press release posted on its official account on X, or formerly Twitter, on Saturday.

Established in 1996, the garbage dump named Kiteezi landfill reportedly covers 36 acres (14 hectares) and is the dumpsite of all garbages collected from all five divisions of Kamapala, the capital of Uganda, with a population of 1.87 million.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni directed the army's Special Forces Command to join the search and rescue efforts on Sunday afternoon.

In a statement posted on his official social media account X, Museveni wondered who had allowed people to settle in such a dangerous area.

"The first question that comes to mind is: 'Who allowed people to live near such a potentially hazardous and dangerous heap?' Even without peeling off and burying people, the effluent alone must be hazardous to health," he said.

"I have, accordingly, requested the Deputy Inspector General of Government (IGG), Anne Muhairwe, representing the IGG, to expeditiously investigate the matter and furnish me with the report," Museveni said.

He also said he had directed Prime Minister to coordinate the removal of all households in the danger zone, "In addition to ensuring the recovery, if possible, of the people still buried in the rubbish."

He directed his staff to assist families of those who died with a handout of 1,300 U.S. dollars per dead person and 265 dollars for every injured person.