Uganda

At least 300 people, including 100 children, are believed to have been killed when landslides buried three villages in eastern Uganda late on 1 March after heavy rains. Some 2,000 people have been displaced and entire fields of crops ruined. Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) officials said that on 2 March 50 bodies had been counted while four people with broken limbs had been admitted to Bududa Hospital. More people from neighboring villages had joined the search for survivors. The officials described the situation as “desperate,” saying a total of 300 residents from the three villages were missing and just 31 villagers were known to have survived. Officials in the region said food was very short as gardens and plantations were swept away by the mud, while drinking water was not available and sanitation facilities destroyed. (U.N. News Service)