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24 dead in Uganda landfill collapse, death toll expected to rise

The death toll from a landfill collapse in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, rose to 24 on Monday, as authorities said rescuers were continuing to search for bodies using machinery.


24 قتيلا في انهيار مكب نفايات بأوغندا وتوقعات بارتفاع حصيلة القتلى

At least four children were killed in the Kiteze landfill collapse on Friday, police told reporters.


Authorities believe heavy rains caused the accident.


The exact details of the incident were not immediately clear, but authorities in the Ugandan capital said there was a "structural failure of the rubbish mass," according to the Associated Press.


"There is no hope of finding anyone alive in the rubble, and it is not clear how many are missing yet," said Irene Nakasiita, a spokeswoman for the Ugandan Red Cross.


The Kiteze landfill is located on a steep slope in a poor part of the city. Women and children who scavenge for plastic waste for income frequently gather there, and some homes have been built near the dump.


The Kampala authorities had intended to close the dump years ago.


Meanwhile, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has ordered an investigation into the incident, and in a series of posts on the X platform, questioned why people were living so close to such a precarious pile of rubbish.


“Who allowed people to live so close to such a dangerous pile? The waste is in a location that is dangerous enough that people shouldn’t be living there,” he said.

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