Landslides Claim Two Children, Leaves Grandmother Critically Injured in Kisoro

KISORO – A landslide has claimed the lives of two children and left their grandmother critically injured in Kamugoyi village, Muhidura parish, Kababa Sub County, Kisoro district.

The victims, Laban Irasubiza Laban, 13, and Brian Niyonsaba, 8, both residents of Kamugoyi village, were staying with their 80-year-old grandmother, Jahena Georgina, along with seven other family members.

Jahena Georgina is currently in critical condition at Kisoro hospital. The heart-wrenching incident occurred on Tuesday at around 9:00 Pm when 10 family members had gathered in their grass hut some awaiting food, while others was asleep. Despite the desperate efforts of Babona Gideon and his wife Jolly Jennifer, the parents of the deceased minors, the rescue attempts proved futile.

CUE IN PARENTS…..ON INCIDENT……RR//

Molly Nyirarukundo, a Uganda Red Cross Volunteer, highlighted the extensive impact of the disaster on Muhidura Parish and surrounding areas. She says the landslide wreaked havoc on crops, houses, toilets, and community roads. She emphasized the urgent need for residents living on hill slopes to consider relocating to safer areas.

CUE IN MOLLY…..ON RED CROSS…..RR//

As of press time, no local government leader had visited the area to assess the situation, prompting residents to question the government’s responsibility toward the vulnerable population that actively participates in the democratic process.

CUE IN RESIDENTS…ON LEADERS……RR//

This tragedy echoes a similar catastrophe in May 2023 when 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.