Guinea landfill landslide in Conakry kills at least 30 people after heavy rains

Midnight collapse at Dar Es Salam

Heavy torrential rains triggered the collapse of a massive waste heap at the Dar Es Salam landfill in Conakry early on Sunday, 23 August 2026. The incident occurred around 2:00 a.m. in the capital's Gbessia commune, washing saturated debris down onto informal settlements built around the base of the site. Tons of refuse engulfed shacks, tents, and an apartment building while residents were sleeping. The Dar Es Salam site is the largest waste facility in Guinea's capital, where rapid rainfall accumulation frequently destabilizes waste mounds during the West African rainy season. Local officials, including Dar Es Salam district head Lancine Sylla, reported that bodies were recovered in the immediate aftermath and transported to local mortuaries.

Emergency response and casualty tolls

Emergency crews, including the Civil Protection service and national defense forces, deployed heavy excavators to clear unstable mounds of debris and locate survivors. Government figures placed the death toll at 30, while a provisional Civil Protection update reported at least 31 fatalities. Medical services treated 22 people for injuries, consisting of six individuals with serious trauma and 16 who sustained lighter wounds. Search teams continued searching through Sunday as multiple residents remained unaccounted for beneath the shifting rubbish. Local resident Cire Diallo described losing five of her children in the collapse before rescue crews could reach their shelter.

I have lost all my children. All I can do is put my trust in God.

Closure orders and relocation efforts

The disaster occurred on the exact day authorities had scheduled the definitive closure of the Dar Es Salam landfill. On Thursday, 20 August 2026, Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation Djénabou Touré announced plans to shut the dumpsite and transfer municipal waste outside Conakry. Sanitation officer Lieutenant Colonel Baldé Mamadou Bailo of the Military Engineering Battalion confirmed that closure operations were set for Sunday. Municipal authorities had previously served eviction notices to families residing along the perimeter, but many remained on site when the waste gave way. Administrative teams visited the neighborhood on Saturday, 22 August, to request that households relocate to safer zones before heavy weather hit.

We have been trying for years to get people to leave this place because you can see for yourself the health risks that this area poses to the population.

Political scrutiny and structural strains

Guinean Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah inspected the scene on Sunday to evaluate the destruction and coordinate emergency operations. In an official government release, Bah called on citizens to remain calm, show solidarity, and comply with safety directives issued by rescue services. From abroad, exiled opposition leader and former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo demanded full transparency regarding why the collapse occurred on the very day the shutdown was scheduled. The incident follows broader economic and urban housing challenges across Guinea, where 3.7 million of the country's 15.1 million residents live on less than $4.20 per day, according to an April 2026 World Bank report. Although Guinea holds the world's largest bauxite reserves and launched a mining project at the Simandou iron ore deposit in November, municipal infrastructure in Conakry remains fragile during annual monsoon rains.