30 killed, 22 injured in landfill collapse in Conakry suburb of Guinea

Thirty people were killed and 22 others injured on Sunday following the collapse of a landfill in a suburb of the Guinean capital, Conakry, after heavy rains, according to a government statement reported by the Agence France-Presse.

The government said the incident occurred around 2 a.m. in the Dar Salam neighborhood of the Gbessia district, following heavy overnight rains that also caused the collapse of several homes.

The accident resulted in 30 deaths, with six others suffering serious injuries and 16 sustaining minor wounds.

The government announced the mobilization of significant material and human resources to rescue victims and recover bodies, emphasizing that operations are still ongoing.

Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah visited the site of the incident, while the government announced measures to ensure medical care for the injured and assistance for those affected.

For his part, former Prime Minister and one of Guinea’s leading opposition figures, Sileo Daling Diallo, who is currently in exile, described the incident as a “tragedy,” noting via Facebook that a large number of victims had been reported before the official casualty figures were announced.

Diallo said the severity of the incident was heightened by the fact that the closure of the landfill was scheduled for Sunday, August 23, calling on authorities to transparently determine the circumstances of the disaster and draw lessons from it.

In recent days, the government had announced evacuation operations and measures to secure the area surrounding the landfill in anticipation of landslides.