Part of a mountain gave way due to heavy rains outside Conakry, the capital of Guinea, sending a landslide onto buildings in a rural community and killing at least 11 people, authorities said on Thursday.
The incident took place in Maneah, a rural commune in the Coyah Prefecture located 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the capital Conakry, according to a statement by the National Agency for Emergency Management on Thursday.
The landslide which occurred on Wednesday night seriously injured another 10 people, and the death toll was expected to rise, emergency services added.
“Last night, it was around 7 p.m. It was raining, and suddenly I saw the mountain come off. It fell on the houses at the foot of the mountain. The mud buried the houses. No survivors came out alive,” said Kone Pepe, a local resident.
Heavy rains
Search and rescue operations began as of late Thursday, authorities informed.
“It’s a part of the mountain that gave way under the effect of the rain and spilled onto the buildings,” said Mory Condé, minister of urban planning and housing, during a visit to the site.
The collapse followed heavy rains in the area and comes as West Africa has experienced record flooding, killing over 1,000 people last year and displacing hundreds of thousands across the region.
