At least 31 people have been killed after a huge mound of rubbish collapsed onto nearby homes at a major waste site in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, following heavy overnight rainfall.
The disaster occurred at about 2:00 a.m. local time in the Dar-es-Salam area, according to the Guinean government. At least 22 other people were injured, including six who sustained serious injuries.
The government said significant resources and personnel, including members of the military, had been deployed to the scene to search for survivors.
Rescue workers were seen using excavators to clear tonnes of scattered rubbish as residents gathered around the site, hoping for news of relatives and friends who may still be trapped.
Local neighbourhood leader Lancine Sylla said earlier that 18 bodies had been recovered and taken to a morgue.
One woman told local media that all five of her children were killed in the collapse, while authorities warned that the death toll could rise as rescue operations continue.
Guinea’s Prime Minister Mamadou Oury Bah visited the site to assess the situation and oversee the emergency response. Health Minister Khaïté Sall also visited injured victims in hospital and said they would receive free medical treatment, while assuring affected families of government support.
The incident has renewed concerns about the safety of communities living near the landfill.
Guinea experienced a similar tragedy at the same site in 2017, when 10 people were killed in a landslide. Authorities had recently ordered residents living close to the waste site to relocate, but many remained in the area.
Opposition figure and former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, who is currently in exile, described the incident as a tragedy and questioned the timing of the landfill’s planned closure.
He said the disaster was particularly concerning because the closure of the landfill had reportedly been scheduled for Sunday, August 23. Rescue teams are continuing to search through the collapsed waste in an effort to find survivors and recover those still trapped beneath the debris.
