The death toll from a mountain of rubbish that collapsed in Kampala has risen to 25 with no hope of finding survivors, a government minister has said.
The huge mound in the Ugandan capital's northern district of Kiteezi collapsed on Saturday, burying people and livestock.
"By late yesterday evening, we had recovered 25 bodies and no survivors found," said Lillian Aber, Minister for Disaster Preparedness and Relief.
"We don't expect more survivors," she added. It was not immediately clear how many people were unaccounted for. The prime minister's office said that three children whose parents were still missing were being given shelter.
With heavy rain hampering the rescue, President Yoweri Museveni directed the army's special forces to provide assistance.
A 200-metre buffer zone has been created around the site, and neighbouring residences have been evacuated, Minister Aber said.
The 36-acre (14-hectare) landfill was established in 1996, according to local media, and serves almost all of Kampala, taking in about 1,500 tonnes a day.
Kampala mayor Erias Lukwago said that authorities are now looking for alternative dumping sites, following the closure of the Kiteezi landfill.
"The trucks are not collecting garbage at the moment and streets are filled with garbage which may create a health hazard," he said.
Uganda and other parts of East Africa have been battered by heavy rains recently. Mudslides in a remote mountainous area in southern Ethiopia last month killed around 250 people.
