At least 15 people are feared dead following fresh landslides that struck the districts of Kapchorwa, Kween, and Bukwo early Saturday morning, burying several homes and destroying large tracts of farmland.
Preliminary reports indicate that hectares of maize and wheat gardens, worth millions of shillings, were swept away by the mudslides triggered by heavy overnight rains that have pounded the Mount Elgon region for days.
The Suam Bridge, a vital lifeline connecting Uganda's Elgon sub-region with Kenya, has also been cut off after the Suam River burst its banks, rendering the crossing impassable and isolating communities on both sides.
Local residents say no formal rescue teams had arrived by Saturday morning, forcing villagers to dig through the debris with hoes and shovels in desperate attempts to find survivors.
"We have lost entire families, and many people are still missing. We are using our bare hands to dig them out," said one resident in Kween District.
Authorities have yet to release an official death toll, but disaster response agencies are expected to be deployed once the rains subside and the terrain becomes accessible.
The Mount Elgon sub-region is prone to recurrent landslides, with the latest disaster coming just months after similar incidents in Bududa and Bulambuli, where dozens lost their lives and hundreds were displaced.
