A landslide at a landfill in the capital of Guinea kills 30 people,
officials say
[August 24, 2026]
CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — A mountainous heap of refuse collapsed at
the largest landfill in Guinea 's capital of Conakry early on Sunday,
killing 30 people, according to the central government.
Authorities said that heavy rains, which started at around 2 a.m.,
washed over the refuse at Dar Es Salam — the largest landfill in Conakry
— and triggered a landslide that buried nearby shacks. A search and
rescue operation was underway to find survivors. Six people were
seriously injured and several homes were destroyed.
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Rescue workers search through a heap of refuse after it collapsed at
Conakry’s largest landfill, Guinea, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Fodo
Toure) |
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The site, an open-air waste dump which is the largest in the
city, had been designated for closure on Sunday, according to
Lt. Col. Baldé Mamadou Bailo, the sanitation officer for the
military engineering battalion.
Locals living around the landfill had been given eviction
notices, which forced many to leave the area, but many others
were still around at the time of the disaster, according to
authorities.
"We will ensure that the remaining families are relocated
elsewhere,” Dienabou Touré, the minister of territorial
administration and decentralization, said at the scene.
Guinea is mineral-rich with huge deposits of bauxite — the
largest in the world — and also has iron ore, gold, diamonds and
minerals. However, according to the World Bank, 43.7% of the
population lives below the national poverty line.
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