The death toll from last week’s devastating garbage landslide in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, has climbed to 35, with 12 of the victims identified as young people, according to police reports on Friday.
At least 28 individuals remain missing after the tragic incident, which occurred late last Friday. A massive chunk of waste broke away from the Kiteezi landfill, located on the northern outskirts of the city, burying dozens of nearby homes while residents were asleep.
Since Wednesday, nine additional bodies have been recovered, raising the number of confirmed deaths from the previous count of 26. Police stated that some of the newly retrieved bodies were in such poor condition that identification has been difficult.
The landslide came after torrential rains lashed parts of Uganda in recent weeks, causing widespread flooding and damage across the region. The heavy rainfall weakened the integrity of the decades-old Kiteezi landfill, Kampala’s primary waste disposal site.
For years, residents living near the landfill have voiced concerns over the hazardous conditions created by poorly managed waste, which they say has polluted the environment and posed significant risks to their safety.
This tragedy echoes similar disasters across Africa, where mismanagement of municipal waste has led to deadly collapses. In 2017, a similar incident in Ethiopia claimed the lives of at least 115 people.
