The death toll from last week's landslides in the Sebei sub-region has risen to 21 after five more bodies were recovered in Bukwo District on Monday evening, as rescue teams continue to dig through the mud and debris using rudimentary tools.

The bodies, including two infants, were exhumed from Kwanwa Village in Kapteka Parish, Chesower Subcounty, Bukwo District.

Regional tallies now stand at seven deaths in Bukwo, six in Kween, and five in Kapchorwa, with at least 11 people still missing and feared buried under heavy mud and boulders.

Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn

According to Kween Resident District Commissioner Hope Atuhaire, another body was retrieved in Girig, a low-lying area severely flooded by runoff from the highlands.

The community-led search, supported by the Uganda Police and UPDF, continues under harsh and risky conditions.

Chesan Sylus, a resident involved in the operation, said seven bodies have so far been recovered from the Kwanwa site alone--five from one family and two from another.

"This morning, we unearthed two infants from a family of seven; the remaining five are still underground," he said.

Sipi Regional Police spokesperson Fredmark Chesang confirmed the updated toll and said nine survivors have been accounted for.

State Minister for Disaster Preparedness Lillian Aber, who visited the region on Sunday, urged residents in high-risk zones to vacate immediately.

She said government had resolved to set up a temporary holding camp at Moyok in Kween District for displaced families from Bukwo and Kween until rains subside and a long-term resettlement plan is implemented.

RDC Atuhaire confirmed the arrival of relief food from the Office of the Prime Minister to assist affected families.

Officials from the OPM and Uganda Red Cross are currently on the ground conducting damage assessment and verifying the list of victims.