Ice cap on Ugandan mountain splits

2010-05-04 21:22

Kampala - Ugandan wildlife authorities say the ice cap on the country's western Rwenzori mountain range has split after extensive melting caused by global warming.

Nelson Guma says ice covering Mount Margherita, the second highest peak in Africa, has melted forming a large crevasse about 6m wide.

Guma said on Tuesday the split occurred on the climbing route to Mount Margherita and that tourists can no longer climb that peak, but authorities are working to create another route to the peak. The East African peak has been named a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Environmental protection officer Henry Mujuzi says that because of global warming, the ice cap, which in the 1950s had covered about 6km² , now covers less than 1.6km².

- AP