Guinea has held a mass funeral attended by thousands, for 36 people killed when a landfill collapsed in Conakry last month, with authorities confirming that 17 of the victims were Sierra Leonean nationals.
The victims were sleeping when part of the massive garbage dump near homes in the Dar-es-Salam neighbourhood gave way overnight between August 22 and 23 following heavy rains.
The three dozen bodies were taken to a mosque in Bambeto, a Conakry suburb, for Muslim funeral prayers before being buried at the Bambeto cemetery.
Family members, religious leaders and government officials attended the burial ceremony.
Guinea is in mourning, and we share the suffering of the victims’ loved ones,” Conakry Governor General Mahawa Cisse said during the ceremony.
Many mourners struggled to make sense of the tragedy.
“We are completely disillusioned. We are deeply troubled by this tragedy. We don’t know what to do,” said Aboubacar Camara, who survived the collapse.
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According to the country’s emergency management agency, around 20 people remain hospitalised, while more than 1,600 have received assistance.
Since the collapse, authorities have been demolishing houses in the area considered at risk from the rubbish dump, citing the need to protect residents from another tragedy.
Residents have criticised the difficult conditions under which the demolition operation was carried out and are calling for relocation assistance.
Africanews
