Conakry landfill collapse in Guinea kills at least 30 people

At least 30 people have died and 22 others were injured after a massive mound of waste collapsed onto makeshift homes in the Dar-es-Salam neighborhood of Conakry, reported by the BBC. The disaster struck at approximately 2 a.m. Local time following heavy overnight rain, which swept over the open-air site's mountainous heap of refuse and triggered a devastating landslide onto the surrounding residential shacks.

The tragedy unfolded at the largest landfill serving the capital of Guinea, an open-air waste facility that previously suffered a fatal collapse killing 10 people in 2017 documented by Sana. In the wake of the latest disaster, emergency personnel, military units, and excavators were deployed to comb through the debris, noted by ILKHA, as authorities worked to locate survivors among fears that the death toll would rise further.

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Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah visited the site to oversee the search-and-rescue operations and assess the damage according to reporting by Abc. Among the casualties, six individuals sustained serious injuries. One local resident recounted to media that she had lost five children in the collapse, while neighborhood leader Lancine Sylla told the Agence France-Presse news agency that initial local rescue efforts had pulled 18 bodies from the rubble before the official toll was released.

The disaster occurred under a somber political backdrop in the West African nation, which is led by General Mamadi Doumbouya following a 2021 coup and his subsequent election in December 2025. In the days leading up to the catastrophe, the government had ordered the eviction of residents living around the site because of fears of a collapse.

Lt. Col. Baldé Mamadou Bailo, a sanitation officer for the military engineering battalion, stated that the landfill had been scheduled to close on Sunday, the same day the deadly collapse occurred. That same timing was emphasized by exiled opposition figure and former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, who called the event a tragedy that plunged the community into dismay and noted that the closure of the dump had been announced for this Sunday, August 23.

Political Background and Prior Disasters at the Dar-es-Salam Waste Site

The catastrophe in Conakry occurred against a turbulent backdrop in the West African nation, which is governed by General Mamadi Doumbouya following a 2021 coup and his subsequent election in December 2025, according to reporting by Abc. In recent days, the government had ordered the eviction of people around the site because of fears of a collapse.

Ilkha noted that the Dar Es Salam site is an open-air waste dump and the largest landfill serving Conakry. Its proximity to residential areas has raised concerns over the risks posed to communities living nearby.

Chronology of Prior Landfill Incidents

• 2017: A previous collapse at the same landfill killed 10 people in 2017.
• Days preceding Sunday, August 23, 2026: In recent days, the government had ordered the eviction of people around the site because of fears of a collapse.
• Sunday, August 23, 2026, 2:00 a.m. Local time: The collapse occurred at the Dar Es Salam landfill after heavy rains began around 2 a.m. Local time.

Following the disaster, exiled opposition figure and former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo emphasized on Facebook, as reported by ABC, that this tragedy is all the more worrying because the closure of the dump had been announced for this Sunday, August 23, calling the event a tragedy that plunges us into dismay. ABC noted that measures were taken to ensure medical care for the wounded and assistance for those affected by this tragedy, while the central government confirmed that significant material and human resources had been deployed. As recovery efforts proceed, the next step, according to statements highlighted by ABC, requires it is now up to the competent authorities to establish, with full transparency, the circumstances that led to this disaster and to draw all necessary conclusions.

Official Response and Investigation Measures

Following the disaster, Guinea's central government deployed significant material and human resources to search for any people who may still be buried, to rescue the victims and to recover the bodies, according to reporting by ABC. Neighborhood leader Lancine Sylla told the Agence France-Presse news agency that initial local rescue efforts had pulled 18 bodies that were taken to the morgue. ABC noted that measures were taken to ensure medical care for the wounded and assistance for those affected by this tragedy.

Exiled opposition figure and former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo called the event a tragedy that plunges us into dismay in a statement posted on Facebook, emphasizing that the closure of the dump had been announced for this Sunday, August 23. As recovery efforts proceed, the next step, according to statements highlighted by ABC, requires it is now up to the competent authorities to establish, with full transparency, the circumstances that led to this disaster and to draw all necessary conclusions.