30 killed as massive garbage heap collapses in Guinea capital

At least 30 people have been killed after a massive garbage dump collapsed in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, following hours of heavy rain, burying makeshift homes and shacks nearby.

The incident occurred around 2am (local time) Sunday in the Dar-es-Salam area, where a huge mound of accumulated waste gave way after overnight downpours, according to the Guinean government.

At least 22 people were injured, six of them critically, according to BBC reports.

Authorities warned that more victims could still be trapped beneath the debris and that the death toll may rise.

The government deployed military personnel, rescue teams and heavy equipment to search for survivors and recover bodies from beneath the rubble. Excavators were seen digging through the collapsed waste mound as local residents gathered at the scene, according to global media reports.

A woman told local media that five of her children were among those killed.

Guinean Prime Minister Mamadou Oury Bah visited the site to assess the situation and oversee the rescue operation.

Officials and local leaders blamed the disaster on years of poor waste management compounded by heavy seasonal rainfall. Local leader Lansine Sylla told AFP earlier that 18 bodies had initially been recovered and taken to a morgue.

The same site witnessed another deadly garbage collapse in 2017, when 10 people were killed.