Guinea rubbish landfill collapse kills 30

At least 30 people have died after a huge pile of rubbish collapsed onto homes near a major landfill in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, according to the government.

Another 22 people were injured, six of them seriously, following the incident in the Dar-es-Salam neighbourhood.

The collapse occurred at around 2:00 a.m. local time after heavy overnight rainfall. The government said significant resources and personnel, including military teams, had been deployed to search for survivors and recover victims.

A woman told local media that all five of her children were killed in the disaster, while authorities warned that the death toll could increase as rescue operations continue.

Rescue teams were later seen using excavators to search through the massive piles of scattered waste as residents gathered around the site.

Prime Minister Mamadou Oury Bah visited the area to assess the situation and supervise the ongoing rescue and recovery efforts.

Local neighbourhood leader Lancine Sylla had earlier expressed fears that the disaster would result in a high number of casualties.

He said 18 bodies had already been recovered and taken to the morgue.

The site has previously experienced a similar tragedy. In 2017, another landslide at the location reportedly claimed 10 lives.