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At least 113 people missing after Uganda landslide – police
At least 113 people are missing, and at least 15 people are known to have died after a landslide in eastern Uganda, the police say.
The landslides triggered by heavy rainfall affected multiple villages in the Bulambuli district, about 280 km (178 miles) from the capital Kampala.
A rescue operation is underway after at least 40 houses were swept away, the Ugandan Red Cross Society said on X.
The Ugandan police said that as well as the 15 bodies, another 15 injured people had been rescued and admitted to hospital.
At least six of the bodies recovered have been children, the Ugandan Red Cross Society told the BBC.
Heavy rainfall has inundated the East African country for the last few days.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja issued a disaster warning on X.
“People are suspected to be missing and some feared buried by slides,” her statement said.
Rivers have burst their banks, flooding schools and churches, destroying bridges, and isolating communities.
The military has been deployed to assist with search and recovery efforts.
On Wednesday, the defence forces said on X that two boats had been deployed during an operation to rescue a taxi stuck on a bridge near the town of Pakwach.
One of the boats capsized and an engineer died.
In parliament on Thursday, the speaker, Anitah Among, expressed her condolences to the relatives of those who have lost their lives in the flooding across the country.
This is not the first time that eastern Uganda has been hit by floods and landslides.
In 2010, a landslide in Bududa killed about 300 people. This was one of the most devastating natural disasters in the country.
The region is mountainous with arable land which is good for farming – one of the reasons people are reluctant to move away, alongside their attachment to their ancestral land.
But this year alone, the heavy rainfall, flooding, and landslides have forced thousands of people to leave their homes, according to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
[BBC]
Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich took a second off the women-only half-marathon world record on Sunday when she won the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, stopping the clock at one hour, five minutes, and 15 seconds.
Ngetich, who also broke the women-only 10km (6.2-mile) world record last year, pushed to the front from the outset on a sunny morning in the Danish capital and led until the end, finishing 50 seconds ahead of compatriot Veronica Loleo, who came in second.
The previous record was set by Peres Jepchirchir, another Kenyan, when she won the World Half Marathon title in Poland in 2020.
The overall women’s half-marathon world record is held by Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey, who clocked 1:02:52 in 2021 at the mixed-gender Valencia Half Marathon in Spain.
Sunday’s win was the latest major title this year for the 25-year-old Ngetich, who also won the team half marathon in Copenhagen and the World Cross Country Championships in Florida in the US in January.
(Aljazeera)
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Flood warning issued to the Divisional Secretariat Divisions of Ganga Ihala Korale, Udapalatha, Doluwa, Udunuwara, Yatinuwara, Gangawata Korale, Harispattuwa, and Pathadumbara
Due to heavy rainfall received in the upper catchment areas of the Mahaweli River over the past few hours, there is a risk of minor flooding in the low-lying areas surrounding the Mahaweli River within the Divisional Secretariat Divisions of Ganga Ihala Korale, Udapalatha, Doluwa, Udunuwara, Yatinuwara, Gangawata Korale, Harispattuwa, and Pathadumbara.Residents living in the above mentioned areas and motorists using roads passing through these areas are urged to exercise extreme caution and remain highly vigilant regarding the prevailing situation.
Furthermore, residents living in close proximity to the Mahaweli River in these areas are advised to remain highly alert to the situation and take all necessary precautions to protect themselves from any potential flooding.The relevant disaster management authorities are requested to take all necessary measures in response to this situation.
The National Building Research Organisation [NBRO] has issued landslide Red Alerts to the districts of Kandy, Kegalle and Nuwara Eliya effective from 14:00 hrs on 20.09.2026 To 14:00 hrs on 21.09.2026
Accordingly,
LEVEL III [RED] Land Slide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Pasbage Korale in the Kandy district, Dehiowita, Aranayake, Deraniyagala, Mawanella and Yatiyanthota in the Kegalle district and Kothmale West, Kotmale East, Ambagamuwa and Norwood in the Nuwara Eliya district
LEVEL II [AMBER] Land Slide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Padukka in the Colombo district, Nagoda, Thawalama and Neluwa in the Galle district, Bulathsinhala, Palindanuwara, Walallawita and Agalawatta in the Kalutara district, Ganga Ihala Korale in the Kandy district, Bulathkohupitiya and Kegalle in the Kegalle district, Akuressa and Pitabeddara in the Matara district, Thalawakele in the Nuwara Eliya district and Pelmadulla, Ratnapura, Ayagama, Kuruwita and Ratnapura in the Ratnapura district.
LEVEL I [YELLOW] Land Slide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Seethawaka in the Colombo district, Niyagama and Baddegama in the Galle district, Mirigama in the Gampaha district, Ingiriya in the Kalutara district, Udapalatha and Yatinuwara in the Kandy district, Galigamuwa, Warakapola and Ruwanwella in the Kegalle district, Kotapola, Pasgoda and Athuraliya in the Matara district, and Eheliyagoda, Kalawana and Elapatha in the Ratnapura district.
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