Floods displace 300 000 people in Uganda

KAMPALA, UGANDA - Mar 08 2010 16:11

More than 300 000 people have been displaced by floods in eastern Uganda, a Cabinet minister said on Monday.

The Ugandan government is appealing for aid to provide relief for the displaced, the Deputy Minister for Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Musa Eceru, told reporters.

"The floods have affected over 300 000 people in three districts," Eceru said. "We are trying to raise funds to help the affected people and we are calling for aid from both local and international sources."

Heavy rains early last week caused a series of devastating landslides on the slopes of Mount Elgon on the border with neighbouring Kenya. More than 300 people are feared to have been buried alive in villages in Bududa district.

Rescue efforts are going on to exhume the dead from the mud and heavy stones. The UN children agency, Unicef, puts the number of bodies recovered so far at 88. -- Sapa-dpa

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