Landslides bury Ugandan villages

Landslides caused by torrential rains have destroyed three villages in eastern Uganda, killing scores of people but possibly hundreds.

Officials said it was too early to say precisely how many were killed in the landslides yesterday afternoon.

David Wakikona, an MP from the Bududa district, said that hundreds were probably killed in the disaster. He said that at least 300 people lived in the affected villages and that most people were indoors when mud and rocks began to roll down hills denuded of vegetation.

Landslides are a common occurrence in eastern Uganda, but there has been local resistance to government efforts to relocate the most vulnerable people to a safer place.

AP