Thirty people died in Guinea's capital Conakry on Sunday when a mound of rubbish in a landfill collapsed before dawn onto neighbouring homes following heavy rains, the government said.

Six others were seriously injured in the 2.00 am incident in the Bbessia district's Dar-es-salam neighbourhood on the capital's outskirts, a government statement said.

"Significant material and human resources have been deployed to search for any people who may still be buried, to rescue the victims and to recover the bodies," the government added.

One woman, Cire Diallo, told reporters at the scene that her five children were killed. "I have lost all my children. All I can do is put my trust in God," she said.

The incident occurred less than a week after the government announced plans to close the site and relocate the waste because of the threat it posed, especially during the ongoing rainy season, which causes landslides and fatal flash floods each year in crowded, underdeveloped cities across parts of West Africa.

Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah visited the site of the deadly accident, where excavators took part in a search-and-rescue operation through the collapsed landfill under the gaze of a crowd of onlookers.

Measures have been taken "to ensure medical care for the wounded" and "assistance for those affected by this tragedy", the government statement said. (Agencies)



Edited by Cecil Wong