In brief
At dawn in Conakry, a towering mound of rubbish at a major waste site collapsed onto nearby homes, killing 30 and injuring 22 more. Heavy rain overnight destabilised the site, prompting the government to deploy military and rescue teams. Prime Minister Mamadou Oury Bah visited the scene and overseen search efforts while local leaders warned that the death toll could rise further. This disaster echoes a 2017 landslide that also claimed lives at the same site.
Tragic collapse at Conakry's landfill has claimed 30 lives.
At roughly 02:00, a gigantic mound of rubbish from Guinea's largest waste dump collapsed onto homes across the city\'s Dar‑es‑Salem area, following a night of heavy rain.
Twenty‑two people were injured, six of whom suffered serious wounds and are still being treated at local hospitals.
Government officials, including the military, mobilised rapidly to search for survivors using excavators and other heavy machinery. The Prime Minister, Mamadou Oury Bah, personally inspected the scene and directed rescue efforts.
Local community spokesperson Lancine Sylla expressed worry over a potential rise in the death toll, noting that 18 bodies have already been recovered and moved to the morgue, while a family reported the loss of five children in the tragedy.
This incident comes roughly ten years after a similar landslide at the same site killed 10 people in 2017, underlining the ongoing risk of inadequate waste management in densely populated urban areas.
Authorities have warned residents of the danger of unsanctioned dumping and urged stricter enforcement of environmental regulations to prevent future catastrophes.
