Landslides Kill Two, Injures Two Others in Kisoro

Two people have been confirmed dead and two others injured after being affected by landslides in Kisoro district.

The incident happened in the early hours of Sunday morning at around 05:00 AM in Nyabiyonga village, Chibumba parish, Murora sub-county. The deceased were Brenda Musoni, 14, and Eseri Mujawimana, 12, residents of Bukerahe village, same parish. The injured are Benon Mulema, 70, and his wife Avelina Mbaboneye, 60, residents of Nyabiyonga village. The deceased are grandchildren of the injured casualties.

Patrick Muhire, a local resident, says the deceased had gone to visit their grandparents in Nyabiyonga village as they always do during holidays. But as they were sleeping, the landslides hit the house and halfway buried it. The children suffocated to death during the landslide under a heavy downpour.

Muhire says Mbaboneye and Mulema survived with injuries. Elly Maate, police spokesperson for Kigezi region says despite the place being hilly, locals managed to retrieve the bodies of the deceased, and the victims were rushed to Chahafi Health Centre IV for treatment.

This is not the first time landslides resulting from heavy rains kill people in Murora subcounty. In May 2023, eight people were killed by landslides in Biizi and Gihuyaga villages.Effects of heavy rains also have a record of causing deaths of people and other destructions in the Kigezi region.

Last week on April 27, three men who were burning charcoal in Kyakabarisinga Village, Ibanda Parish, Nyarushanje Sub-county in Rubabo County, Rukungiri district were killed by floods. Four people were burning charcoal in a valley when they took shelter from heavy rain in a makeshift tent covered with a tarpaulin. But floodwaters from a day-long downpour suddenly surged and swept away utensils, including saucepans and plates, that the group had been using to prepare food. As one of them rushed to retrieve the items, the floods intensified and swept away the makeshift shelter where the other three had taken refuge. 

The survivor raised an alarm, prompting nearby residents to rush to the scene. However, their rescue efforts were unsuccessful.

The Kigezi region is among parts of Uganda currently experiencing heavy rains.