Tragedy strikes as landfill collapse claims lives in Conakry
A mountainous heap of refuse collapsed at the largest landfill in Guinea’s capital of Conakry early Sunday, killing 30 people, according to the central government, reports BritPanorama.
Authorities stated that heavy rains, which began around 2 a.m., washed over the refuse at Dar Es Salam and triggered a landslide that buried nearby shacks. A search and rescue operation was launched to find survivors, resulting in six people suffering serious injuries and several homes being destroyed.
The open-air site, which is the largest waste dump in the city, had been scheduled for closure on Sunday, according to Lt. Col. Baldé Mamadou Bailo, the sanitation officer for the military engineering battalion.
Although locals living around the landfill had received eviction notices instructing them to leave, many remained in the area at the time of the disaster, based on officials’ reports.
“We will ensure that the remaining families are relocated elsewhere,” said Dienabou Touré, the minister of territorial administration and decentralization, at the scene.
Guinea is rich in minerals, boasting the largest deposits of bauxite in the world along with iron ore, gold, and diamonds. Despite this, the World Bank reports that 43.7% of the population lives below the national poverty line.
