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At least 30 people have been killed after a huge mound of waste collapsed at Guinea’s largest landfill in the capital, Conakry, burying nearby makeshift homes and leaving rescue teams searching for survivors.

The disaster occurred early Sunday at the Dar Es Salam landfill after heavy rainfall swept across the site from about 2 a.m., according to government authorities.

Six people were seriously injured in the collapse, while several homes were destroyed as the unstable mass of rubbish gave way and moved downhill into areas occupied by residents.

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Emergency workers launched search and rescue operations as authorities attempted to determine whether additional people remained trapped beneath the debris.

The collapse has renewed concerns over the dangers faced by communities living around informal and poorly managed waste disposal sites in rapidly expanding African cities.

Dar Es Salam is an open-air landfill and the largest waste disposal site in Conakry. Authorities had planned to shut the facility on Sunday, hours after the deadly incident occurred.

Lt. Col. Baldé Mamadou Bailo, a sanitation officer with the military engineering battalion, said the site had already been designated for closure.

Residents living close to the landfill had reportedly received eviction notices before the disaster, with some families leaving the area. However, authorities said many others remained near the site when the landslide occurred.

The presence of homes and informal structures close to the waste mound increased the impact of the collapse, turning what might otherwise have been a landfill accident into a major urban disaster.

Heavy rain was identified as the immediate trigger. Torrential water can destabilise large waste deposits, particularly where rubbish is piled without adequate drainage, engineering controls or slope management.

The disaster also highlights the difficult choices facing authorities in Conakry, where rapid population growth has increased pressure on waste collection and disposal infrastructure.

For residents who remained around Dar Es Salam, leaving was complicated by the realities of finding alternative accommodation. Eviction notices may remove communities from danger, but without suitable relocation arrangements, some residents can remain exposed to the same risks.

Rescue teams continued working through the debris as authorities assessed the damage and searched for possible survivors.

The government is expected to face questions over how the landfill was operated, why residents remained in surrounding areas despite eviction notices and whether adequate measures had been taken to stabilise the site before its planned closure.

The incident has also placed renewed attention on the need for safer waste management systems in Conakry.

Landfills can become particularly dangerous during periods of intense rainfall when water penetrates layers of waste, increasing their weight and weakening unstable slopes.

For families affected by Sunday’s collapse, however, the immediate priority remains recovery and identification of victims.

With at least 30 confirmed deaths, six serious injuries and several homes destroyed, the Dar Es Salam disaster ranks among the most serious recent accidents linked to waste disposal in Guinea.

Authorities continue to search the site while the country confronts the consequences of a landfill that was already scheduled to close.

The Traffic NG
landfill
Amarachi Ihesiulo
The Traffic NG

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