The International Red Cross said that a massive waste dumping site in the Ugandan capital collapsed, resulting in the deaths of at least 18 people.

Another 14 people were injured when the Kiteezi landfill, which serves as a waste disposal site for much of Kampala, collapsed late on Friday. The Kampala Capital City Authority stated that at least two of the victims were children.

The collapse is believed to have been caused by heavy rainfall. The exact details of what happened were not clear, but city authorities stated that there was a "structural failure of the waste mass."

Irine Nakasiita, spokesperson for the Ugandan Red Cross, said the death toll rose to 18 after more bodies were recovered from the scene on Sunday.

She said, "The assessment is not yet complete," adding that the rainfall was slowing the efforts of rescue teams digging through piles of garbage.

The Kiteezi landfill is located on a steep slope in a poor part of the city. Women and children often gather there searching for plastic waste to earn an income, and some homes have been built near the landfill.

Kampala authorities have considered closing the site for years and designating a larger area outside the city as a waste disposal site. The reason for the failure of the plan since 2016 remains unclear.

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

Museveni said, "Who allowed people to live near such a potentially dangerous heap?" adding that liquid waste from the site is dangerous enough that people should not live there.