Ugandans criticise gov't after Bududa landslide kills at least 40

At least 40 people died when floodwaters triggered by a landslide in an Eastern Uganda town, destroying homes and burying livestock, local media reported.

The landslide, which followed heavy rains, struck Bukalasi, situated on the slopes of Mount Elgon, on Thursday afternoon.

“Most of the people were caught at the market, the landslide pushed huge boulders into a river which burst its banks and the water swept away the people,” said Commissioner for Disaster Preparedness and Management Martin Owor.

A picture tweeted by Uganda Red Cross showed uprooted and twisted trees. The aid agency said both “animals and people were swept away in this disaster.”

Relief teams were combing the area to search and rescue survivors, Owor said.

“There are people who were displaced and they need shelter, food and all other support and we’re moving that relief to the area,” he said.

Bududa prone to landslides

The rainy season in that part of Uganda, about 250 km (155 miles) from the capital Kampala and close to the Kenyan border, runs from September to December.

An avalanche in the same area in 2010 killed at least 80 people.

Ugandans react

Ugandans quickly took to social media to call out the government for not doing enough to protect the people of Bududa from a predictable disaster.

My sincere sympathies to the People of #Bududa who have lost their relatives and remained homeless in the recent mudslides. Did we have the early warning systems? It's a wake up call,lets work together.Parliament_Ug UgandaMediaCent

— Kakeeto Ivan (@ivankakeeto8) 12 octobre 2018

Bududa Update :
- Death toll increases to 34.
- Search & rescue continues in the affected communities.
- RedCross Volunteers on ground to support affected people.
- Our technical team is conducting risk assessment.
- We have positioned relief (stock) to suppprt affected pic.twitter.com/vLgNBrPF9x

— Uganda Red Cross Soc (@UgandaRedCross) 12 octobre 2018

When will life ever matter in this country?where is the Bulambuli relocation wrangled land Report?. And you hear every gov't official sending in condolence msgs as if this is the first land slides in Bududa. So sad!! We have never been proactive in this country.#BududaLandslides

— NZE_NSEKANABASSI (@SsaliKuchi) 12 octobre 2018

I send my condolences to the families of our brothers and sisters in Bududa. It’s very important that we come together & support the affected communities without necessarily casting the burden to government. UgandaRedCross should set up a voluntary contributions platform for us.

— Mathias Ssemanda (MathiasSsemanda) 12 octobre 2018

I ask again and don't pretend like you aren't seeing . AFANDE Richard Karemire UPDFspokespersn Do we have choppers sending relief items to bududa. Clearly from what I am watching on ntvuganda SolomonKaweesa1 reports that roads are imotorable Dont allow that death toll to rise

— Daniel Lutaaya ?? (daniellutaaya) 12 octobre 2018

Large swaths on the slopes of Ugandan mountains have been denuded of their forests and other vegetation cover for cultivable land, increasing the risk of landslides.

Officials have previously said there were plans to move people away from some of the most vulnerable areas, but those relocations have yet to be carried out.

Many of the East African country’s mountainous regions, also including areas in the southwest and west near the borders with Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo, often experience landslides at this time of the year if rains are unusually heavy.