CONAKRY: Heavy rains caused a landslide that struck homes in a rural community in Guinea, killing at least 11 people, authorities said Thursday. Another 10 people were seriously injured and the death toll was expected to rise.
The landslide occurred Wednesday night in Maneah, a rural commune in Coyah prefecture 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the capital Conakry, according to a statement by the National Agency for Emergency Management.
“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.
Search and rescue operations were continuing late Thursday.
“It’s a part of the mountain that gave way under the effect of the rain and spilled onto the buildings,” Mory Condé, minister of urban planning and housing, said during a visit to the site.
The collapse followed heavy rains in the area and comes after West Africa experienced record flooding last year that killed over 1,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.