At least 30 people died in Guinea's capital, Conakry, on Sunday when a mountainous open-air landfill collapsed, burying nearby shacks and trapping victims. The incident occurred at the Dar Es Salam landfill, the largest waste dump in the West African nation.
The collapse happened after heavy rainfall saturated the refuse overnight, creating hazardous conditions. The weight of the garbage caused a three-story building beneath it to cave in, according to reports. Six people sustained serious injuries, and several homes were destroyed.
Officials launched a search-and-rescue operation for survivors. The Dar Es Salam landfill had been scheduled to close on Sunday due to hazardous conditions, following warnings from Lt. Col. Baldé Mamadou Bailo, the sanitation officer for the military engineering battalion. Residents living near the site had received eviction notices as a precautionary measure, but many remained in the vicinity at the time of the disaster.
"We will ensure that the remaining families are relocated elsewhere," Dienabou Touré, the minister of territorial administration and decentralization, stated at the scene. This incident follows a similar event at the landfill in 2017, when torrential rains caused a mudslide that killed at least eight people.