The Uganda Red Cross says at least five people have died in mudslides triggered by heavy rains in the east. Several others are said to be missing.

The group said Wednesday that its search and rescue teams ploughing through the mud had retrieved the bodies and handed them over to police.

Julius Mucunguzi, a spokesman for the prime minister's office, says at least 10 people are missing and many are displaced.

Several villages in the eastern district of Bududa, in the foothills of Mount Elgon, are prone to. Deaths are reported every year during the wet season.

Uganda's government is encouraging the relocation of some residents but there is resistance among some locals who are eager to stay in their ancestral region.