Landfill Landslide Kills 30 in Conakry, Guinea
- A mountainous heap of refuse collapsed at the Dar Es Salam landfill in Conakry, Guinea, killing 30 people after heavy rains triggered a massive landslide on Aug.
- Authorities confirmed that six people sustained serious injuries in the collapse, while 16 others suffered lighter injuries.
- The disaster struck just days after the government announced plans to close the site.
A mountainous heap of refuse collapsed at the Dar Es Salam landfill in Conakry, Guinea, killing 30 people after heavy rains triggered a massive landslide on Aug. 23, 2026. Central government officials reported that the disaster occurred at around 2 a.m., when downpours washed over the open-air waste dump and buried nearby shacks and tents in the Gbessia commune.
Emergency Response and Site Scale
Authorities confirmed that six people sustained serious injuries in the collapse, while 16 others suffered lighter injuries. Rescue teams deployed excavators and other heavy tools to clear the site. Witnesses described the debris heap as large enough to engulf an apartment building alongside more precarious dwellings. Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah visited the landfill on Aug. 23 to supervise emergency response efforts and assess the damage firsthand.
Failed Evictions and Planned Closure
The disaster struck just days after the government announced plans to close the site. Dienabou Touré, the minister of territorial administration and decentralization, stated at the scene that officials had previously issued eviction notices to locals living around the perimeter. “We will ensure that the remaining families are relocated elsewhere,” Touré said, as authorities urged residents to follow the instructions of rescue services.
Seasonal Hazards in West Africa
Lt. Col. Baldé Mamadou Bailo, a sanitation officer with the military engineering battalion, noted that the open-air dump had been designated for closure on Aug. 23. Government officials stated that the site posed a threat during the ongoing rainy season, which regularly triggers fatal flash floods and landslides in crowded, underdeveloped cities across parts of West Africa.
Poverty Amid Mineral Wealth
The tragedy highlights deep infrastructure strains in Guinea, a country that holds the world’s largest bauxite reserves and deposits of iron ore, gold, and diamonds. Despite its vast mineral wealth, 43.7% of the population lives below the national poverty line, according to World Bank figures. Millions of residents subsist on low daily incomes amidst underdeveloped urban settlements.
I have lost all my children. All I can do is put my trust in God.
Cire Diallo, local resident