3 children killed, 2 injured in Mityana house collapse

Mityana, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A semi-permanent house has collapsed in Budimbo village, Mityana district killing 3 children following a heavy downpour. The deceased children have been identified as Derrick Wasswa and his twin Douglas Kato, 13, and their 10-year-old sister Florence Nakamya.

Witnesses say that by the time of the incident on Sunday, the deceased children were with their father Michael Katende, and 2 other children who also sustained injuries following the collapse of the house during the heavy downpour.

Residents said that Katende and his family had just settled in the village and constructed a semi-permanent house that was razed by the storm. Imelda Nabukeera, a neighbor of the affected family said that by the time they responded, the father of the deceased children had escaped and was nowhere to be seen.

She said that they heard the alarm during the rain and waited for it to subside before they could respond. John Membe, the chairperson of Budimbo village described the incident as unfortunate, saying that they only managed to save 2 out of the 5 children who were trapped in the house together with their father.

Membe has asked the residents to construct strong structures for their own safety to avoid further occurrences. Wamala Region Police Spokesperson Rachael Kawala says that the deceased’s bodies are lying at Mityana hospital pending postmortem.

The incident came shortly after more than 10 people died in Mbale and Kapchorwa districts in the eastern region resulting from heavy rains.

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