Over 100 people missing as mudslides kill at least 15 in Bulambuli

Security forces and local rescuers in Eastern Uganda are searching for at least 113 people after flashfloods and mudslides devastated five villages in Bulambuli District, killing at least 15 locals.

The mudslide followed torrents of rain that started at 10am, lasting over 8 hours in the remote hilly Bulunganya Sub-county on Wednesday.

"A total of 15 bodies have been retrieved, while 15 injured people have been rescued and admitted to Buluganya Health Center III," police said in an updated toll on Thursday evening. 

Earlier, authorities suggested that majority of the victims were likely children. 

Videos circulated on social media since Wednesday showed an avalanche of water flashing through submerged homesteads in Masugu, Namachele, Natola, Namagugu and Tagalu villages, destroying massive property. 

Authorities say first responders are facing difficulty in rescue operations. 

"Police together with other sister security agencies with the help of the local community have intensified rescue operations, that is however, being hindered by impassable roads, which are preventing vehicles, including ambulances and wheel loaders, from reaching the scene," police said on X, formerly Twitter. 

Now, stricken local residents and leaders are appealing for government relief and faster response to the catastrophic incident. 

“We are homeless because our houses have been destroyed, and others have houses that are adjacent to where the mudslides occurred and will also be buried. People living there need to be relocated,” mudslide victim Wilson Nasina told Monitor. 

Uganda's Mountain Elgon region is prone to landslides often triggered by heavy rains and resulting floods.