At least 30 people were killed Sunday when a massive section of waste collapsed at a landfill in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, burying nearby homes and people beneath tons of garbage. The disaster occurred at the Dar Es Salam landfill after heavy rain began around 2 am, according to government authorities. Six people were seriously injured, while several homes were destroyed in the collapse, reports CNN.
Rescue crews were searching through the debris for survivors as authorities worked to recover those trapped beneath the rubble. The landfill is the largest waste dump in Conakry and is an open-air site. The weight of all the garbage was enough for a three-story building to cave in underneath it, the Guinea News reported.
The government had planned to close the landfill on Sunday, according to Lt. Col. Baldé Mamadou Bailo, sanitation officer for the military engineering battalion. Residents living around the site had previously received eviction notices, with some families leaving the area before the collapse. Many others, however, remained near the landfill when the landslide struck.
Dienabou Touré, Guinea’s minister of territorial administration and decentralization, said authorities would move families who were still living in the area. “We will ensure that the remaining families are relocated elsewhere,” Dienabou Touré, the minister of territorial administration and decentralization, said at the scene.
The collapse followed heavy rainfall that washed over the large accumulation of waste, triggering the landslide and sending refuse into surrounding areas. The exact circumstances of the deaths and the full extent of the damage were still being assessed as rescue operations continued.
Guinea is rich in natural resources, including bauxite, with the country holding the world’s largest known deposits. It also has significant iron ore, gold, and diamond resources. Despite its mineral wealth, poverty remains widespread. The World Bank estimates that 43.7 percent of Guinea’s population lives below the national poverty line.
Rescue crews were searching through the debris for survivors as authorities worked to recover those trapped beneath the rubble. The landfill is the largest waste dump in Conakry and is an open-air site. The weight of all the garbage was enough for a three-story building to cave in underneath it, the Guinea News reported.
The government had planned to close the landfill on Sunday, according to Lt. Col. Baldé Mamadou Bailo, sanitation officer for the military engineering battalion. Residents living around the site had previously received eviction notices, with some families leaving the area before the collapse. Many others, however, remained near the landfill when the landslide struck.
Dienabou Touré, Guinea’s minister of territorial administration and decentralization, said authorities would move families who were still living in the area. “We will ensure that the remaining families are relocated elsewhere,” Dienabou Touré, the minister of territorial administration and decentralization, said at the scene.
The collapse followed heavy rainfall that washed over the large accumulation of waste, triggering the landslide and sending refuse into surrounding areas. The exact circumstances of the deaths and the full extent of the damage were still being assessed as rescue operations continued.
Guinea is rich in natural resources, including bauxite, with the country holding the world’s largest known deposits. It also has significant iron ore, gold, and diamond resources. Despite its mineral wealth, poverty remains widespread. The World Bank estimates that 43.7 percent of Guinea’s population lives below the national poverty line.
