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Conakry landfill collapse
A landfill collapse in Guinea’s capital Conakry killed at least 30 people and left six seriously wounded after a mound of rubbish fell onto homes following heavy rains, according to a government statement.
“Thirty people died and six were seriously wounded Sunday on the outskirts of Conakry”
The incident happened at 2am (0200 GMT) Sunday morning at the Dar-es-salam neighbourhood in the Bbessia district, the government statement said.
The New Indian Express reported that a mountainous heap of refuse collapsed at the largest landfill in Conakry early Sunday, killing at least 22 people, and said heavy rains starting at around 3 am washed over the refuse at Dar Es Salam.
The Hindu also put the death toll at least 22, saying a provisional toll by Guinea’s civil protection service counted at least 22 killed after heavy rains started around 3 a.m. and triggered a landslipe that buried nearby shacks.
In contrast, Asharq Al-Awsat said the government put the figure at 30 deaths and six others seriously injured in the 2:00 am (0200 GMT) incident in the Bbessia district’s Dar-es-salam neighborhood.
Officials, witnesses, and numbers
Eyewitness and district reporting diverged on the toll, with AFP-cited accounts saying the exact number of deaths had not been given while search and rescue continued.
Ratopati quoted Dar-es-Salaam suburb chief Lansine Sylla saying, "We have taken 18 dead bodies out and taken them to the morgue," and said Guinea’s Regional Administration Minister Jenaabu Toure would give an official number after the operation concluded.
Asharq Al-Awsat likewise cited Lansine Sylla, saying, "We have pulled out 18 bodies that were taken to the morgue," and described Guinea minister for territorial administration Djenabou Toure going to the scene as excavators searched through the collapsed landfill.
The New Indian Express said locals living around the landfill had been given eviction notices, which forced many to vacate the area, but many were still around at the time of the disaster.
South China Morning Post reported that Djenabou Toure said she was waiting for a search and rescue operation to finish to give an official figure.
Evictions, closure, and risk
Multiple outlets tied the disaster to recent government actions around the landfill, saying people were ordered to move and safety measures were taken because of fears of collapse.
“The government had ordered people to move from there and take safety measures”
Ratopati said the government had ordered people to move from there and take safety measures in recent days due to the danger of collapse, while The New Indian Express said locals had been given eviction notices before the incident.
Both The New Indian Express and South China Morning Post said the site had been designated for closure on Sunday, citing Lt. Col. Baldé Mamadou Bailo as the sanitation officer for the Military Engineering Battalion.
Khaleej Times reported that the accident happened at 2am (0200 GMT) Sunday morning in the Dar-es-salam neighbourhood in the Bbessia district, and said the collapse followed heavy rains.
With the death toll ranging from at least 22 to at least 30 across the accounts, the sources also described ongoing search and rescue as the immediate next step, including AFP photographers seeing excavators take part in the operation.