(26 Jun 2012) STORYLINE:
Massive landslides induced by torrential rains destroyed three villages in the mountainous district of Bududa in eastern Uganda, with at least nine people reported missing.
Officials from Bududa said the final death toll would likely be in the hundreds.
Witnesses said the landslides were unexpected, happening several hours after a torrential overnight downpour that at first seemed to have done little damage.
"Within the shortest time we saw smoke coming up and then the land was sliding down. We saw huge trees turning up and down just breaking and there was a lot of dust," said Ibrahim Hussain, a teacher at Bududa primary school.
Most people were likely indoors when huge blocks of mud and rocks started to roll down hills, toppling homes, killing livestock and burying them alive.
At least 300 people lived in the affected villages.
Officials said rescue teams from the Ugandan army would play a lead role in moving the soil as the search for possible survivors begins.
Landslides are a common occurrence in the hilly parts of eastern Uganda, and they have been especially lethal over the years in those villages where the land is denuded of vegetation cover.
In 2010 massive landslides in Bududa killed about 100 people, destroying everything from the village market to a church.
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