At least 31 people have died after a huge pile of waste collapsed onto residential buildings in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, following heavy overnight rainfall, authorities have confirmed.
The incident occurred around 02:00 local time in the Dar-es-Salam neighbourhood, where 22 others sustained injuries.
Six of those hurt are reported to be in critical condition.
Emergency teams, backed by military personnel and heavy machinery, were dispatched to the scene to search for people trapped beneath the debris.
Excavators were later used to sift through the vast quantity of rubbish as residents gathered around the area.
Witness Robert Kamano Sâa told the Associated Press that the disaster unfolded in several stages.
He said residents rushed towards the first collapsed section to look for survivors, only for another portion of the landfill to break apart and sweep people away.
A local woman told journalists that she had lost all five of her children in the incident, raising fears that the number of fatalities could increase as rescue operations continue.
Guinea’s Prime Minister Mamadou Oury Bah visited the affected area to monitor the emergency response.
Mamadouba Bangoura, whose home was destroyed, said his family was awakened by a powerful sound as the first mass of waste moved.
A subsequent surge struck their house and caused it to collapse.
Neighbourhood chief Lancine Sylla said 18 bodies had initially been recovered and transported to a mortuary.
Health Minister Khaïté Sall visited victims receiving treatment and announced that medical services would be provided without charge.
She also pledged state assistance to affected families.
The incident is not the first deadly accident at the landfill.
In 2017, a similar collapse at the location claimed 10 lives.
Authorities had recently instructed residents living around the dumping ground to relocate. However, many remained in the area despite the warning.
Opposition leader and former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, who lives in exile, described the incident as a devastating tragedy.
He noted that authorities had planned to shut the landfill on 23 August.
Search and recovery operations remain underway, with emergency workers continuing to comb through the waste in an effort to locate anyone still missing.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong