At least 36 people are now confirmed dead, as search and rescue operations continue following heavy rains and a landslide in eastern Uganda on Thursday, a spokeswoman for the Uganda Red Cross Society has said.

The banks of a river had burst upstream and "when the water flowed down it brought a number of big stones with it that destroyed people's houses", Irene Nakasiita was quoted by AFP news agency as saying.

"Our search and rescue team is still on the ground evacuating people and removing them from the rubble," she added.