NEWS– Two lives have been confirmed to have been lost, third life left fighting to live after a hit Kamugoyi village, Muhindura parish, Kababa Sub County, Kisoro district.
Those that perished have been identified as Laban Irasubiza Laban, 13, and Brian Niyonsaba, 8, both residents of the above address who were staying with their 80-year-old grandmother, Jahena Georgina together with seven other family members.
Information obtained by our reporter indicates that Jahena is currently in critical condition at Kisoro hospital after the Tuesday night heart-wrenching incident. The landslide according to reports occurred at around 9:00 Pm when all the 10 family members had gathered in their grass thatched hut as some waited for supper while others were asleep.
Despite the desperate efforts of Babona Gideon and his wife Jolly Jennifer, the parents of the deceased minors to rescue their children, all efforts were rendered futile.
Molly Nyirarukundo, a Uganda Red Cross Volunteer narrated that there have always been similar disasters in the area especially during the rainy season hence appealing to the community to practice environmental friendly activities to mitigate such calamities.
Nyirarukundo added that the landslide wreaked havoc on crops, houses, toilets, and community roads thus emphasizing the urgent need for residents living on hilly slopes to consider relocating to safer areas.
By the time of this story publication, local leaders were yet to visit the affected area to assess the situation, prompting residents to question their responsibility toward the vulnerable population that actively participates in the democratic process of electing them.
It should be remembered that in May 2023, heavy rainfall triggered mudslides in Murora sub-county and Bunagana town council, resulting in the loss of at least 10 lives in Kisoro district.
The mudslides also claimed the lives of approximately eight more people in Rukiga, Rubanda, Kanungu, and Kabale during the same period.
