Guinea Garbage Collapse at Landfill Kills Dozens

Zac Crellin with AFP, AP

Heavy seasonal rains caused a mound of garbage to collapse, burying dozens of people and nearby homes before the break of dawn.

At least 30 people have died after a landfill collapsed in Guinea's capital, Conakry, officials said on Sunday.

Heavy rains overnight caused a large mound of rubbish to collapse at the Dar Es Salam landfill, burying nearby homes before dawn.

At least six other people were seriously injured.

Guinea's minister for territorial administration, Djenabou Toure, visited the site, where workers used excavators to search for more bodies.

Landfill was slated for closure

The government had recently ordered the expulsion of nearby residents in informal housing due to a fear of collapses.

Balde Mamadou Bailo, the sanitation officer for the Military Engineering Battalion, said the Dar Es Salam site had been slated for closure on Sunday.

Heavy seasonal rains have been known to trigger collapses at landfills in some countries, with Uganda and Ethiopia suffering similar tragedies in recent years. 

Edited by: Sean Sinico