At least 30 people have died following a massive landslide at a waste dump in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, after torrential overnight rains caused a mountain of refuse to collapse. The disaster struck around 2 a.m. in the Gbessia commune, sending a wave of debris crashing down onto nearby shacks and temporary shelters. Government officials confirmed that while dozens perished, another six people remain seriously injured and sixteen others sustained lighter wounds as rescue teams scrambled to clear the wreckage.
Witnesses described a scene of utter devastation, noting that the slide was powerful enough to swallow not just makeshift huts but entire apartment buildings. Among those mourning is Cire Diallo, a mother who told reporters she lost all five of her children in the tragedy. As excavators worked through the mud and trash to recover bodies, Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah visited the site to oversee recovery efforts and urge citizens to remain calm and cooperative with emergency services.
The timing of the catastrophe is particularly grim, coming less than a week after Djénabou Touré Camara, the minister of territorial administration, announced plans to shut down the landfill due to safety concerns. The government had already acknowledged that relocating the waste was necessary because of the recurring threat of landslides and flash floods that plague underdeveloped urban centers across West Africa during the rainy season.
This tragedy highlights a stark contrast within Guinea, a nation boasting some of the world’s most valuable mineral reserves including bauxite and iron ore. Despite this geological wealth, much of the population struggles with extreme poverty and crumbling infrastructure. According to recent World Bank data, millions of Guineans live on less than four dollars a day, often forcing them into precarious housing near hazardous sites like the one that collapsed this weekend.
