Uganda rubbish heap collapse: Dozens dead as rescue teams search for survivors

Dozens of people have been killed in the collapse of a landfill in Uganda's capital Kiteezi, as the hunt for survivors continues.

At least four children are among the 24 victims at the 36-acre site on Friday, which is believed to have been triggered by heavy rainfall.

The precise details of what happened were unclear, but the city authority said there was a “structural failure in waste mass.”

Searches are continuing at the site in Kiteezi following the collapse on Friday.

Irene Nakasiita, a spokeswoman for the Uganda Red Cross, said there was no hope of rescuing more people alive.

The Kiteezi landfill is a vast site in an impoverished hillside area that receives hundreds of rubbish trucks daily. The city authority has been aiming to decommission it since declaring it full years ago.

It is the only landfill in the whole of the capital, which is home to around three million people. Many women and children scavenge plastic waste from the site. which they then sell to make a living.

Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni expressed his condolences for the families of those who died in the rubbish heap collapse in a post on X.

He ordered an investigation into the disaster, asking why people were living in close proximity to an unstable heap of rubbish.

"Who allowed people to live near such a potentially hazardous and dangerous heap?" Museveni said, adding that effluent from the site is hazardous enough that people should not be living there.

The Uganda Red Cross has been supplying tents to those in need of shelter.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…