Deadly mudslides

At least 34 people have died in mudslides triggered by torrential rains in a mountainous area of eastern Uganda prone to such disasters. More victims were likely to be discovered when rescue reams reached all the affected areas in the foothills of Mt Elgon, the Red Cross said yesterday. People were killed by boulders and chunks of mud rolling down hills following a sustained period of heavy rain in the district of Bududa. Local official Wilson Watila estimated that about 100 houses had been swept away. In March 2010, at least 100 people died in similar mudslides in Bududa, and injuries or deaths have been reported every year since then during the wet season. Efforts by Uganda’s government to relocate residents away from steep slopes have not succeeded.