Guinea rubbish landfill collapse kills 31

At least 31 people died and 22 were injured when a large mound of rubbish collapsed onto homes in Guinea's capital, Conakry. The disaster occurred in the Dar-es-Salam area early on August 25, following intense overnight rainfall.

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Significant resources and personnel – including the military – were deployed to search for survivors after the collapse at about 02:00 local time following heavy rain overnight.

Government officials confirmed the casualties and stated that significant resources, including military personnel, were deployed to conduct search and rescue operations. Rescuers were seen using heavy machinery to sift through the debris, as local residents gathered near the scene. The health minister assured that the injured would receive free medical care and that the government would support affected families.

This is not the first fatal incident at the site; 10 people died in a similar landslide in 2017. Despite previous warnings and an announced closure of the landfill, many residents continued to live in close proximity to the waste pile. The government had reportedly ordered people living near the site to relocate, but compliance appears to have been incomplete.

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We have pulled out 18 bodies that were taken to the morgue.

Prime Minister Mamadou Oury Bah visited the scene to oversee the response. Opposition figure Cellou Dalein Diallo described the event as a "tragedy that plunges us into dismay." Rescue efforts are ongoing, with concerns that more bodies may be found as the search continues through the extensive waste.

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This tragedy is all the more worrying because the closure of the landfill had been announced for this Sunday, 23 August.