By Hamza Kyeyune,
KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) – The death toll from the Kampala garbage collapse in Uganda has risen to 30 as rescuers recovered six more bodies on Wednesday, with hopes fading for the 39 people still missing after nearly 72 hours of the tragedy.
Rescue teams retrieved six bodies on Wednesday, bringing the total number of bodies recovered since Friday to 30, Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango said in a statement.
“Out of the 39 missing, 35 are community members or residents and four are garbage collectors who came from various places,” he said.
On Friday, a mountain of garbage collapsed at a landfill site on the outskirts of Kampala, burying dozens of homes as people slept. Search and rescue efforts are ongoing in the Kiteezi area of the capital Kampala.
Authorities fear that the death toll will rise, as preliminary police findings indicate that 33 homes were buried.
Irate residents have criticized local authorities for the initial delay in rescue response and the subsequent slower retrieval of bodies.
Operators of heavy earth-moving equipment continued to plough through mounds of loosened solid waste, scooping off layers to reveal human remains after rescuers said the chances of finding anyone alive beneath had faded.
Earlier on Tuesday, Minister of State for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees Lillian Aber told the parliament that the landslide caused damages and affected more than 1,000 people.
“The affected persons are estimated to be over 1,000 from all the affected villages. We are going to continue providing food and all the requirements as the government looks into the details of compensation,” she said.
To speed up excavations, the government promised to bring more earth-moving equipment to the site.