AFRICA. Uganda: The Uganda Police Spokesperson, Fred Enanga said the search for more victims will continue as the death toll from devastating flooding in Mbale city of Uganda rose to 22 while 10 others are in critical condition and are receiving treatment in different hospitals.
After heavy rainfall, two rivers burst their banks and the entire city of Mbale was torn into panic as shops, bridges and roads were damaged and hundreds became homeless.
Speaking to newsmen in Uganda, Enanga said, “A combined rescue team of Police, the Red Cross and Army were mobilized to the scene of the incident to continue searching for more victims.”
Some victims who were said to have been trapped in a minibus are party goers who met their deaths on the way as they were swept off by the flood, Enanga said.
“Five dead bodies were pulled from the submerged minibus as search teams hunted around the ill-fated vehicle for more prospective victims”, Enanga noted.
However, Enanga said that advice has been issued to the residents around the flood area to seek alternative and safer shelter 180 miles away until the situation is calm.
The Uganda Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja who was at the scene of the flood, said the situation might have been controlled if the residents of the area had not erected structures in waterways.
In previous years, we experienced floods in Mbale but not as devastating as this year. This is caused by the activities of human beings. “I believe this disaster would have been avoided if people did not encroach on river banks,” Nabbanja said.
Mbale district is home to Mbale city, has a population of over 500,000, according to the 2020 census, and is one of Uganda’s densely populated areas.
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