At least 15 dead and more than 100 missing after landslides that buried homes in Uganda

(AP) – At least 15 people died and 113 others are still missing after landslides buried houses in six villages in eastern Uganda, the police said.

Another 15 injured people have been rescued and admitted to the Buluganya Health Center.

The Uganda Red Cross said Thursday that they have recovered 13 corpses after landslides buried 40 houses and the rescue effort continued.

Local media reported that authorities expect the death toll could rise to 30.

The landslides occurred after heavy rain on Wednesday night in the mountainous Bulambuli district, where landslides are common. The district is about 280 kilometers east of the capital Kampala.

A journalist in the area told The Associated Press that local officials said an excavator would be brought in to help with rescue efforts, but the roads were covered in mud and rain continued to fall.

The affected area is approximately 20 hectares with homes and farmland distributed downhill.

Photos and videos of people digging in the mud in search of victims were shared on social media. Some of the houses were completely covered in mud, while in others only the roof was visible.

The Daily Monitor newspaper reported that most of the bodies recovered so far were children.

The prime minister’s office issued a disaster alert on Wednesday saying heavy rain across the country had cut off major roads.

Two rescue boats capsized on Wednesday during a rescue mission on the Nile River, where the Pakwach Bridge was submerged.