At least eight bodies had by 3pm on Saturday been retrieved from a heap of garbage that buried houses and livestock at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Landfill in Kiteezi, Kawempe Division.
Six of the victims are adults whose particulars are yet to be established while two are children, according to a statement from KCCA.
By the time of filing this report, 14 people had been rescued alive and rushed to Mulago National Referral Hospital for treatment.
Authorities said more bodies could be trapped under the garbage mound following the Saturday morning incident at the landfill which Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago eight months ago warned it was a disaster in waiting.
A carcass of a cow trapped in the garbage which collapsed on houses burying several people and livestock at Kiteezi Landfill on August 10, 2024. Isaac Kasamani
Rescue operation by a team of residents, police, Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) and KCCA is underway to find more survivors or recover more bodies.
A man uses a pickaxe to dig a garbage mound which fell on houses at Kiteezi Landfill killing some people and injuring many others on August 10, 2024. PHOTO/ ISAAC KASAMANI
Some residents were seen using bare hands or rudimentary tools to dig up garbage in attempt to find their relatives buried under the heap as authorities used excavators to complement their efforts.
During a site visit on January 9, Mr Lukwago said the worrying condition at the 36-acre landfill was first raised by the Directorate of Public Health at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).
He said the directorate recommended, among others, that the government should consider relocating to a new dumping site in Dundu-Mukono District or develop the already procured four acres of land which is adjacent to filled site in Kiteezi.
Established in 1996, Kiteezi landfill is the dumpsite of all garbage collected from all five divisions of the city.
