At least 30 dead as rubbish landfill collapses onto homes in Guinea's capital
A mound of waste at a major landfill collapsed onto nearby houses in Conakry, Guinea, after heavy overnight rain, killing at least 30 people and injuring 22 others.
Guinea's government has confirmed that at least 30 people died after a large mound of rubbish at a major waste site gave way and crashed into nearby homes in the Dar-es-Salam area of the capital, Conakry. The collapse occurred around 2am local time, following a night of heavy rainfall.
Authorities said substantial resources and personnel, including military units, were sent to the site to search for anyone still trapped beneath the debris. Alongside the fatalities, 22 people were reported injured, six of them seriously.
One mother told local media that all five of her children had died in the disaster. Officials and residents have expressed concern that the death toll could continue to climb as search operations proceed.
Rescue operation under way
Rescue teams have been using excavators to sift through the vast spread of scattered waste, while local residents gathered near the site to watch the operation unfold. Guinea's Prime Minister, Mamadou Oury Bah, travelled to the scene to review the situation and oversee rescue efforts.
Lancine Sylla, a local neighbourhood leader, told the AFP news agency beforehand that he expected the death toll to be severe, saying 18 bodies had already been recovered and taken to the morgue.
This is not the first fatal incident at the site: a similar landslide there in 2017 killed 10 people.
