Landfill Collapse in Guinea’s Capital Kills at Least 30, Rescuers Comb Through Rubble

A catastrophic collapse of the Dar Es Salam landfill in Conakry, Guinea claimed the lives of at least 30 people Sunday when the mountainous waste heap gave way and buried residential shacks in its path. The incident at West Africa’s largest open-air refuse dump trapped numerous residents beneath tons of garbage, prompting emergency search-and-rescue operations to locate potential survivors.

Heavy rainfall that swept across the landfill overnight weakened the structural integrity of the waste mass, which subsequently crushed a three-story building situated beneath it. Officials attributed the hazardous conditions to the combined weight of accumulated refuse and water saturation, according to reports from the Associated Press.

The disaster claimed six additional serious injuries and resulted in the destruction of several residences near the site. Lt. Col. Baldé Mamadou Bailo, the sanitation officer for the military engineering battalion, had previously warned of dangerous conditions at the facility, which was scheduled for closure on the day of the collapse.

Authorities had issued eviction notices to nearby residents as a precautionary measure, yet numerous people remained in the vicinity when the collapse occurred. Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization Dienabou Touré pledged at the scene to relocate remaining families to safer areas.

The landfill experienced a similar mudslide in 2017 during heavy rains that killed at least eight people, highlighting longstanding safety concerns about the facility’s operations and maintenance.