At least five people are confirmed dead following a Sunday morning mudslide that hit their home inMahango sub-county in Kasese district.
The disaster affected the home of the Vice Chairman LC 1 of Mahango Village in Mahango parish whose three children, his sister and a visitor perished in the heavy ground fall that hit the upper wall of the house.
The area lies on the slopes on Mount Rwenzori.
Narrating his ordeal, the chairman, Mulemba Bwambale said life was normal for the family on Saturday evening as they gathered for supper and later went to bed, only for the mudslides to fall on their house at 2.00 am.
Bwambale said that when he woke up to check the damage on his house, he found it had buried his children, a sister and a visitor.
Bwambale, his wife Rusia Kyakima and his two children aged 4 and three months respectively, escaped unhurt because they were sleeping in another room.
The dead children have been identified as Ednus Mumbere15, Edwin Bwambale, 8 and two year old Phebryn Kabugho. The other victims are Bwambale’s sister Yoneki Nziabake, 17 and Brian Masereka 15, who had visited his home.
The residents who rushed to the scene shortly after the disaster told journalists that it was not easy to save anyone’s life because the rubble had buried them all. They used hoes and spades to retrieve the bodies that had been buried nearly five feet.
The body of the visitor, Brian Masereka was taken to his ancestral home in Kyabwenge while the four are lying in Mahango Church of Uganda awaiting burial on Monday.
The area LC3 Chairman Stephen Muthekengwa warned of more disaster in Mahango adding that this is the sixth time the ground is falling in just one week.
He appealed for immediate help from government and non-governmental organizations.
The district environment officer, Augustine Koli said that the problem arose from the many years the land in Mahango has been left bare without any tree cover. Koli urged people to plant tap rooted trees that can control soil erosion on the steep areas like Mahango.
