Landfill collapse in Guinea kills at least 22 people

DEVELOPING STORY,

A mountainous heap of refuse has collapsed at the largest landfill in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, killing at least 22 people, according to a provisional toll by the civil protection service.

Heavy rains that started about 3am (15:00 GMT) on Sunday, washed over the landfill, triggering a landslide that buried nearby shacks.

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The site was designated for closure on Sunday, according to Lieutenant Colonel Balde Mamadou Bailo, sanitation officer for the Military Engineering Battalion.

Lancine Sylla, the head of the Dar-es-Salaam suburb, where the incident occurred, said he feared a high death toll.

“We have pulled out 18 bodies that were taken to the morgue,” he told the AFP news agency.

Guinea’s minister for territorial administration, Djenabou Toure, went to the site and said she was waiting for the search and rescue operation to finish to give an official casualty figure.

The government recently has ordered the expulsion of people near the landfill and safety measures around the site because of a fear of collapses.

This is a developing story. We will bring you more information as we get it.