Landfill collapse kills at least 22 in Guinea as rescuers search for survivors

Landfill Collapse Kills Dozens in Guinea's Capital

A massive landfill collapse in Conakry, Guinea's capital, has killed at least 30 people, according to a government statement, with rescue teams still searching for survivors. The disaster struck early Sunday after heavy rains triggered a landslide at the Dar Es Salam dump, the largest open-air waste site in the city.

The government's updated toll of 30 deaths was reported by multiple outlets, including ABC Australia and The Guardian. Earlier, a provisional count from the country's civil protection service put the number at 22, a figure carried by the Associated Press and other outlets. Six people were seriously injured, and several homes were destroyed, according to authorities.

The collapse occurred in the Gbessia commune's Dar-es-salam neighbourhood, with some reports placing the time around 2 a.m. local time and others around 3 a.m. Heavy rains had been falling overnight, washing over the refuse and causing the mound to give way, burying nearby shacks and tents, as reported by several sources including BBC and Al Jazeera.

Rescue and Response

Rescue operations involved military personnel, excavators, and emergency teams, according to reports from ABC Australia and UPI. Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah visited the site to oversee the response, and the government said it had deployed "significant material and human resources" to search for those still buried and to assist the injured.

Neighbourhood leader Lancine Sylla told AFP that 18 bodies had been pulled from the rubble and taken to the morgue, a figure cited by several outlets. Minister of Territorial Administration Djenabou Toure visited the site and said authorities would ensure remaining families were relocated.

One woman, Cire Diallo, told reporters she had lost all five of her children in the collapse. "I have lost all my children. All I can do is put my trust in God," she said, as quoted by The Guardian.

Closure Planned, Evictions Issued

The landfill had been designated for closure on Sunday, according to Lt. Col. Baldé Mamadou Bailo, the sanitation officer for the Military Engineering Battalion. Authorities had also issued eviction notices to residents living near the site, and while many had vacated the area, many were still present at the time of the disaster, according to officials.

Guinea's government had announced plans to close the site less than a week before the collapse, as reported by The Guardian and The Irish Times. Minister Djénabou Touré Camara had specifically cited the danger it posed, especially during the rainy season.

Political Reactions and Context

Opposition figure Cellou Dalein Diallo, a former prime minister in exile, called the accident "a tragedy that plunges us into dismay," as quoted by ABC Australia. He also noted that the closure had been announced for the same day.

Local activist Abou Hamza blamed the state for failing to act on promises to close the dump. "We organised sit-ins, we invited the officials from the relevant departments, but they didn't take it seriously. So that's why today, with this landslide, I blame the State, because it didn't take the necessary measures to have the dump closed. And yet they had promised us that, it's been a year now," he told AFP, as reported by Euronews.

Guinea is mineral-rich, holding the world's largest bauxite reserves and significant iron ore deposits, yet widespread poverty persists: 43.7 percent of the population lives below the national poverty line, according to the World Bank, as noted by CP24 and other outlets. Previous landslides at the site have been recorded, including one in 2017 that killed 10 people, according to BBC and AllAfrica.