Kampala - The death toll in the weekend flooding triggered by heavy rains in eastern Uganda has risen to 21, the Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) said on Monday.
Esther Davinia Anyakun, minister of state for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, said seven of the dead were found in Mbale district while three were found in Kapchorwa late Sunday.
Because Africa is my business; this is Uganda yesternight, peoples houses submerged due to heavy downpour.
— ONJOLO KENYA (@onjolo_kenya) July 31, 2022
maybe you will understand why we call on climate action!!! pic.twitter.com/0iYvgwfvMp
URCS spokesperson Irene Nakasiita said 11 more bodies were retrieved from the River Nabiyonga on Monday morning, which brings the number of dead to 21 after the government announcement on Sunday.
"The rains have caused a lot of havoc that is beyond individual and community capacity. We ask the general public to leave all the potential waterways both in hills and valleys, landslide-prone areas; we don't want to lose more lives,“ the minister said.
The URCS said heavy rains have displaced thousands of people, and more than 1,000 households had been affected in neighbouring districts while four others had been put on high alert.
Situation now in eastern Uganda mbale city, heavy flood locked alot of residents indoors, the reality about climate change, we need more solution's to mitigate climate effects 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/HgYHyqnyqL
— ROTICH MUTWALIBU (@RotichMutwalibu) July 31, 2022
The country's meteorological department warned about the northern, eastern and mid-western parts receiving heavy rainfall in August two days before the incident occurred.
Government figures show that in 2021, over one million people were affected by heavy rains and floods.
Xinhua