Landslide at Guinea's largest landfill kills at least 22 people

Rescue teams are scouring a collapsed landfill in Guinea's capital where at least 22 people have died after heavy rains triggered a landslide that buried makeshift homes at the site.

The disaster struck around 3am Sunday when downpours washed over the massive refuse heap at Dar es Salam, Conakry's largest landfill, causing it to collapse onto shacks built alongside the dump.

Lancine Sylla, the local suburb chief, said he feared a heavy death toll. The 22 fatalities represent a provisional count from Guinea's civil protection service as search and rescue operations continue.

Territorial administration minister Djenabou Toure visited the site but said she was waiting for rescue teams to complete their work before releasing an official death toll.

Closure ordered too late

The tragedy comes days after the government ordered the expulsion of residents living near the landfill and mandated safety measures over collapse fears. The site had been scheduled for closure on Sunday, the same day disaster struck, according to Lieutenant Colonel Balde Mamadou Bailo, sanitation officer for the Military Engineering Battalion.

The mountainous pile of refuse at Dar es Salam collapsed early Sunday morning, swallowing the nearby shacks where people had been living despite the proximity to the unstable waste dump.

Source: South China Morning Post