Mountain of rubbish collapses onto homes in Guinea, killing at least 30

International

HOMES in a Conakry neighbourhood were buried beneath a collapsing mountain of rubbish early Monday, leaving at least 30 people dead and 22 injured, Guinea’s government said.

The collapse happened at about 02:00 local time in the Dar-es-Salam area after heavy rain overnight, according to a government statement. Six of those injured are in serious condition.

According to a BBC report, “significant” resources and personnel, including the military, have been deployed to the site as rescuers search for survivors who may still be trapped beneath the debris.

Excavators were later seen combing through the vast piles of scattered rubbish as local residents gathered near the site. Guinea’s Prime Minister Mamadou Oury Bah visited the area to assess the situation and oversee the search operation.

A woman told local media that her five children had died in the disaster. Authorities have warned that the death toll could rise as the search continues.

Neighbourhood leader Lancine Sylla told AFP that residents feared a high death toll, saying 18 bodies had already been recovered and taken to the morgue.

The site has experienced a deadly collapse before. Another landslide there killed 10 people in 2017.(MyTVCebu)