Guinea Landfill Collapse Kills 31 People in Capital Conakry

At least 31 people have died after a mound of rubbish at a major waste site collapsed onto nearby homes in Guinea's capital, Conakry.

Another 22 people sustained injuries, with six seriously. The incident occurred in the city's Dar-es-Salam area around 02:00 local time following heavy rain overnight. "" resources and personnel, including the military, were deployed to search for survivors. One woman reported that her five children died in the disaster. An eyewitness, Robert Kamano Sâa, described a second section of the site collapsing in three successive stages after initial rescue attempts.

Mamadouba Bangoura, who lost his house, stated his family was woken by a loud noise from the first wave of rubbish, followed by a second wave that destroyed their home. Guinea's Prime Minister Mamadou Oury Bah visited the scene to assess the situation and oversee search efforts. The government had recently ordered the expulsion of nearby residents in informal housing due to concerns about collapses.

Balde Mamadou Bailo, sanitation officer for the Military Engineering Battalion, said the Dar Es Salam site had been slated for closure on Sunday. Guinea's minister of territorial administration, Djenabou Toure, announced on Thursday that the government was closing the landfill due to safety concerns and planned to relocate the waste outside Conakry. The collapse occurred less than a week after these closure plans were announced.

Heavy seasonal rains are known to trigger landfill collapses, with Uganda and Ethiopia experiencing similar tragedies in recent years. Guinea holds the world’s largest bauxite reserves and the richest untapped iron ore deposit at Simandou. An April World Bank report states 3.7 million of Guinea's 15.1 million people live on less than $4.20 a day.