Mudslide Kills 80 in Uganda

A massive mudslide caused by heavy rains killed 80 people in the village of Nameitsi.
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Mudslide Kills 80 in Uganda
Residents of Mbale dig in search of bodies in the debris of the landslide March 3 in eastern Uganda. A landslide triggered by torrential rain has buried entire villages and left more than 300 people missing in Eastern Uganda, where at least 55 people have been killed. (Peter Busomoke/AFP/Getty Images)
3/3/2010
Updated:
10/1/2015

<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/UGANDA-97397374.jpg" alt="Residents of Mbale dig in search of bodies in the debris of the landslide March 3 in eastern Uganda. A landslide triggered by torrential rain has buried entire villages and left more than 300 people missing in Eastern Uganda, where at least 55 people have been killed. (Peter Busomoke/AFP/Getty Images)" title="Residents of Mbale dig in search of bodies in the debris of the landslide March 3 in eastern Uganda. A landslide triggered by torrential rain has buried entire villages and left more than 300 people missing in Eastern Uganda, where at least 55 people have been killed. (Peter Busomoke/AFP/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1822460"/></a>
Residents of Mbale dig in search of bodies in the debris of the landslide March 3 in eastern Uganda. A landslide triggered by torrential rain has buried entire villages and left more than 300 people missing in Eastern Uganda, where at least 55 people have been killed. (Peter Busomoke/AFP/Getty Images)
A massive mudslide caused by heavy rains, and exacerbated by over cultivation of the land, killed 80 people and left hundreds missing in the village of Nameitsi, at Uganda’s eastern border with Kenya.

The calamity also buried several other villages in the region. Emergency rescue teams from the Ugandan army, Red Cross staff, and local volunteers slowly made their way through the heaps of earth, as no bulk digging machines could reach the site.

Local authorities had repeatedly warned inhabitants, mostly farmers, to leave during the season, but few did. According to locals, farmers will return to the village after the tragedy passes, as the land there is more fertile than in other areas and many have relatives nearby.