Landslide at Guinea landfill kills at least 30 people in Conakry
Consensus Summary
A landslide at a landfill in Conakry, Guinea’s capital, killed at least 30 people and injured six others early Sunday morning, local time, after heavy rains caused a massive mound of waste to collapse onto nearby homes. The incident occurred just hours before the landfill was scheduled to close on this Sunday, August 23, following weeks of warnings about its instability. Rescue efforts involved excavators and significant resources, with Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah visiting the site to oversee the response. The disaster highlights Guinea’s infrastructure challenges, including widespread poverty, with 3.7 million of its 15.1 million people living on less than $4.20 a day, according to a World Bank report from April. The landslide also underscores broader risks in West Africa’s rainy season, which often triggers fatal flash floods in crowded urban areas.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- At least 30 people were killed in a landslide at a landfill in Conakry, Guinea's capital
- Six people were seriously injured in the landslide
- The landslide occurred at 2:00am Sunday local time (2am Sunday, 3am UK time)
- Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah visited the site of the landslide on Sunday
- The landfill was scheduled to close on this Sunday, August 23
- The landslide occurred in the Dar-es-salam neighbourhood (ABC) or Gbessia commune (Guardian) of Conakry
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The landslide occurred in the Dar-es-salam neighbourhood on the outskirts of Conakry
- Neighbourhood leader Lancine Sylla reported pulling out 18 bodies to the morgue before the official toll
- Former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, in exile, called the accident a tragedy and demanded transparency into the disaster
- Guinea is led by General Mamadi Doumbouya, who came to power in a coup in 2021 and was elected president in December 2025
- The government had ordered the eviction of people around the site in recent days due to collapse fears
- The landslide engulfed nearby tents and shacks
- One woman, Cire Diallo, lost all five of her children in the landslide
- Guinea holds the world’s largest bauxite reserves and richest untapped iron ore deposit at Simandou, with a mining project launched in November
- 3.7 million of Guinea’s 15.1 million people live on less than $4.20 a day, according to a World Bank report published in April
- Guinea’s minister of territorial administration, Djénabou Touré Camara, announced the landfill closure on Thursday
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- The ABC article refers to the landslide location as Dar-es-salam neighbourhood, while the Guardian article refers to it as Gbessia commune
Source Articles
Landslide at Guinea landfill kills at least 30
Authorities say a mountainous heap of refuse has collapsed following heavy rain Sunday morning, local time, with the landslide swamping nearby houses.
Landslide at waste mound in Guinea’s capital kills 30, government says
Dump site in Conakry, which minister had just promised to move, collapsed after heavy rain in west African state A landslide at a huge waste dump in Guinea’s capital has killed 30 people, the government said on Sunday, after heavy rains overnight prompted it to collapse, engulfing nearby tents and shacks. The incident occurred less than a week after the government announced plans to close the site and relocate the waste because of the threat it posed, especially during the rainy season, which
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