Landfill collapse in Conakry kills at least 30 after heavy rains trigger landslide
At least 30 people have been killed after heavy rains triggered a landslide at Guinea's largest landfill in the capital, Conakry. The collapse struck the Dar-es-Salam neighbourhood in the Bessia district and buried several shacks near the site. Rescue teams were still searching the area as officials warned the toll could rise.
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The incident happened around 3 am local time on Sunday, according to the supplied report. Six other people were seriously injured, and at least 18 bodies had been recovered and taken to the morgue by the time of the latest update. A government statement put the death toll at 30, while local officials said they were waiting for search and rescue operations to finish before confirming a final figure.
The landfill had been designated for closure on Sunday, according to a sanitation officer with the Military Engineering Battalion. The head of the Dar-es-Salam suburb said he feared a high death toll after the collapse, reflecting the scale of the damage in a densely affected area. Guinea's minister for territorial administration visited the site as the response continued.
The disaster highlights the risks faced by people living near large waste sites in rapidly growing urban areas. In this case, authorities had recently ordered people away from the landfill because of fears that it could collapse. The latest incident also raises questions about enforcement of safety measures and the vulnerability of informal housing built close to hazardous infrastructure.
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The landfill in Conakry is described as the country's largest, making the collapse significant beyond the immediate neighbourhood. The fact that heavy rain was the trigger suggests weather conditions played a direct role, but the underlying exposure of nearby residents appears to have been a major factor in the scale of the loss. The involvement of military engineering and territorial administration officials indicates the response has moved beyond a local emergency.
What remains unclear is the final death toll, the number of people still missing, and whether more victims may be found as the search continues. Officials have not yet given a completed assessment of the structural or environmental causes beyond the rain-triggered landslide. The next developments to watch are the end of rescue operations, any updated casualty figures, and whether the government announces further action around the landfill site.
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