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Rubbish collapses at landfill site in Uganda's capital, killing at least 18 people

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Rubbish collapses at landfill site in Uganda's capital, killing at least 18 people
News

News

Rubbish collapses at landfill site in Uganda's capital, killing at least 18 people

2024-08-12 11:17 Last Updated At:11:20

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Piled-up rubbish collapsed at a vast landfill site in the Ugandan capital, killing at least 18 people, the Red Cross said.

Fourteen other people were injured when the Kiteezi landfill, which serves as a waste disposal site for much of Kampala, collapsed late Friday. At least two of the dead were children, Kampala Capital City Authority said in a statement.

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Red Cross personnel carry the body of a victim at the site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

Red Cross personnel carry the body of a victim at the site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

Onlookers watch as workers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda )

Onlookers watch as workers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda )

Onlookers watch as workers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda )

Onlookers watch as workers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda )

Police officers inspect the site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

Police officers inspect the site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

Onlookers watch as workers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda )

Onlookers watch as workers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda )

In this photo taken from video people gather at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from video people gather at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from video a man is helped by medical personal at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from video a man is helped by medical personal at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from video people an excavator works at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from video people an excavator works at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from video people gather at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from video people gather at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from a dead cow is seen at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from a dead cow is seen at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from video people gather at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from video people gather at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

The collapse was believed to have been triggered by heavy rainfall. The precise details of what happened were unclear, but the city authority said there was a “structural failure in waste mass.”

Irene Nakasiita, a spokeswoman for the Uganda Red Cross, said the death toll reached 18 after more bodies were retrieved Sunday.

“The assessment is not yet completed,” she said, adding that rainfall was slowing the efforts of searchers digging through heaps of trash.

The Kiteezi landfill is on a steep slope in an impoverished part of the city. Women and children who scavenge plastic waste for income frequently gather there, and some homes have been built close to the landfill.

Kampala authorities for years have considered closing the site and commissioning a larger area outside the city as a waste disposal site. It was not clear why the plan has failed to take off since 2016.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni ordered an investigation into the incident, asking in a series of posts on the social platform X why people were living in close proximity to an unstable heap of garbage.

“Who allowed people to live near such a potentially hazardous and dangerous heap?” Museveni said, adding that effluent from the site is hazardous enough that people should not be living there.

Red Cross personnel carry the body of a victim at the site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

Red Cross personnel carry the body of a victim at the site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

Onlookers watch as workers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda )

Onlookers watch as workers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda )

Onlookers watch as workers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda )

Onlookers watch as workers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda )

Police officers inspect the site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

Police officers inspect the site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

Onlookers watch as workers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda )

Onlookers watch as workers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda )

In this photo taken from video people gather at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from video people gather at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from video a man is helped by medical personal at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from video a man is helped by medical personal at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from video people an excavator works at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from video people an excavator works at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from video people gather at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from video people gather at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from a dead cow is seen at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from a dead cow is seen at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from video people gather at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

In this photo taken from video people gather at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. At least 18 people were killed after a landfill collapsed late Friday in the Ugandan capital, according to the Red Cross. (AP video via AP)

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Japan's exports hit record high, but trade deficit continues

2025-01-23 13:16 Last Updated At:13:21

TOKYO (AP) — Japan saw record-high exports last year, as its annual trade deficit declined 44% from the previous year, the Finance Ministry reported Thursday.

The trade deficit, which measures the value of exports minus imports, totaled 5.3 trillion yen ($34 billion), according to government data, as imports ballooned on the back of rising energy costs and growing inflation around the world.

Exports from the world’s third-largest economy totaled 107.9 trillion yen ($691 billion), surpassing the 100 trillion yen mark for the second-straight year, and the biggest value on record for comparable data, which dates back to 1979, the ministry said.

Some companies may have sped up their exports in anticipation of potential tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump has said he expects to put 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting Feb. 1. During his campaign, he threatened to impose tariffs on imports from China, although details on that remain unclear.

For the month of December, exports gained a greater-than-expected 2.8% on-year, while imports rose 1.8%. Exports grew to Asian and European nations, while dipping slightly to the U.S.

Imports grew most from India, Hong Kong and Iran.

Demand was especially strong for Japan's vehicles, semiconductors and other machinery.

The weakening yen, another recent trend, has the effect of inflating the value of imports. The U.S. dollar has been hovering at 150-yen levels, sometimes surpassing 160 yen, over the past year, while a year ago it was often at 140-yen levels.

Japan has recorded a trade deficit for four straight years, but last year's deficit was considerably smaller than the 9.5 trillion yen deficit for 2023.

FILE - Cars for export are parked at a port in Yokohama, near Tokyo, on July 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, File)

FILE - Cars for export are parked at a port in Yokohama, near Tokyo, on July 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, File)

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