In brief
In the early hours of the morning, a towering pile of waste at a major landfill in Conakry, Guinea collapsed onto nearby homes, killing an estimated 30 people and injuring 22 more. The heavy rain overnight weakened the structure, leading to the dangerous slide. Government officials, including Prime Minister Mamadou Oury Bah, deployed military and civilian resources to conduct a search for survivors, while residents mourn the loss of many family members. Rescue crews were seen using excavators to sift through the debris, and there are fears that the death toll may rise further as buried bodies are still being discovered.
At least 30 people were killed when a mound of rubbish at a major waste site collapsed onto nearby homes in Guinea's capital, Conakry, the government announced. The debris surge, which began around 02:00 local time after a heavy overnight rain, sent dust and fragments into the street, engulfing unsuspecting residents and inflicting deep injuries on 22 others, six of whom suffered serious wounds.
An official statement noted that “significant” resources and personnel – including military units, firefighters and medical teams – have been mobilised to search for survivors.‑ Rescuers were later spotted deploying excavators to sift through the rubble, a task complicated by the sheer bulk of the discarded material.
Prime Minister Mamadou Oury Bah visited the scene to oversee efforts and assess the scope of the tragedy. Local residents, many of whom had lost loved ones, gathered nearby, expressing shock and grief. One woman reported that her five children had perished in the disaster, while neighbourhood leader Lancine Sylla warned that the death toll could rise further as rescue workers continue to dig through the pile.
To date, 18 bodies have been recovered and taken to the morgue. The incident echoes a previous landslide at the site that killed 10 people in 2017, underscoring ongoing concerns about waste management and urban safety in Conakry.
