A landslide at a landfill in Guinea’s capital killed 30 people, after heavy rains overnight prompted the 鈥宑ollapse of a massive mound of waste that engulfed nearby tents and shacks. The incident occurred less than a week after the government announced plans to close the site and relocate the waste 鈥媌ecause of the threat it posed, especially during the ongoing rainy season, 鈥媤hich causes landslides and fatal flash floods each year in crowded, 鈦爑nderdeveloped cities across parts of West Africa.
The landslide took place at around 2 a.m. (GMT) in the Gbessia commune of Conakry, according to a government statement. The death 鈥媡oll was 30, with six people seriously injured and 16 more lightly injured, the statement said.
Rescue workers were using excavators and other tools to clear the site of the landslide, which witnesses 鈥媠aid was large enough to bury an apartment building along with more precarious 鈥媎wellings.