At least 30 people have died after landslides in a village in eastern Uganda, a local official said on Thursday, warning the toll could rise.

"We lost about 30 people," Bulambuli district commissioner Faheera Mpalanyi told AFP after landslides struck Masugu village, adding that six bodies, including that of a baby, had been recovered so far.

The landslides come barely three months after dozens of people were killed by a similar

disaster.

"Given the devastation and the size of the area affected and from what the affected families are telling us, several people are missing and probably buried in the debris," she said.

The incident left 40 households completely buried, with others sustaining partial damage, Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, reports.

Heavy rains

So far, 13 bodies have been recovered as rescue operations by Uganda Red Cross Society, local authorities and community members continue, the state broadcaster adds.

The Ugandan prime minister's office said as many as 20 homes were feared to have been swept away.

It issued a disaster alert, writing on X that: "Heavy rains on Wednesday in parts of Uganda have led to disaster situations in many areas".

The East African nation has been battered by heavy rains in recent days, with flooding in the northwest after a tributary of the Nile River burst its banks, causing emergency teams to be scrambled to rescue stranded motorists.

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