Officials said on Sunday that nine people had died and that many more were thought to have perished in flooding in the city of Mbale in eastern Uganda as a result of two rivers bursting their banks and leaving a path of devastation.
In order to aid in search and rescue efforts in Mbale, where stranded inhabitants could only watch helplessly as their possessions were carried away by the floodwaters, police and the military have been called in.
According to resident commissioner Ahamada Waashaki of Mbale City, nine bodies have so far been found, including one soldier.
“Many more people are missing and feared dead,” he said.
“There is a lot of destruction, roads cut off, buildings submerged as a result of heavy rain that started last night until this morning.”
He claimed that once the Nabuyonga and Namatala rivers burst their banks and caused flooding throughout the majority of the city, the situation got worse.
The flat-landed city of Mbale, located around 300 kilometers (180 miles) east of Kampala, was visited by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja.
“Police and military marine forces will be coming to help in the rescue and search for dead bodies as we provide relief to the affected population,” her office said.
Before being evacuated by police, two local reporters told AFP that they had seen victims floating in the filthy brown floodwaters.
As residents evacuated to higher ground for safety, several cars and other family and personal things were also washed away.
Waashaki remarked, “In the past, we saw flooding but not to the magnitude of lives lost and property destruction seen this time.
