Guinea landfill collapse kills at least 30 people in Conakry

At least 30 people died in Guinea's capital Conakry on Sunday, 23 August 2026, when a massive mound of rubbish in a landfill collapsed before dawn onto neighbouring homes following heavy overnight rains. According to a government statement, the disaster struck at approximately 2:00 am local time in the Bbessia district's Dar-es-Salam neighbourhood, situated on the outskirts of the capital. The location serves as the largest open-air waste dump in the West African country. Reports indicated that the weight of the waste caused a three-story building beneath it to cave in, while the heavy rainfall washed over the refuse, creating hazardous conditions and burying nearby makeshift shacks and homes.

Authorities stated that 22 people were injured in the collapse, with six individuals sustaining serious injuries. One grieving resident told local media that her five children had perished in the avalanche of rubbish. Fears persisted that the death toll could rise further as emergency crews sifted through the debris.

Media additions

Neighbourhood leader Lancine Sylla expressed deep concern over the scale of the disaster while speaking to the Agence France-Presse news agency.

"We have pulled out 18 bodies that were taken to the morgue,"

Lancine Sylla, neighbourhood leader, via Agence France-Presse

In response to the catastrophe, the government deployed significant material and human resources, including military units and emergency personnel, to search for survivors, rescue victims, and recover bodies. Rescue teams utilised excavators to comb through the massive piles of waste while crowds of local onlookers watched closely. Measures were enacted to ensure medical care for the wounded and assistance for those affected by the tragedy.

Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah visited the site of the deadly accident to assess the damage and oversee the search-and-rescue efforts. Dienabou Touré, the minister of territorial administration and decentralization, also visited the scene and stated that the administration would ensure remaining families are relocated elsewhere.

Lieutenant Colonel Baldé Mamadou Bailo, the sanitation officer for the military engineering battalion, stated that the Dar Es Salam landfill was originally scheduled to close on Sunday, August 23, 2026, after authorities warned of hazardous conditions. In the days leading up to the disaster, the government had ordered the expulsion of residents living near the site and enforced safety measures due to fears of a potential collapse. Despite these precautionary eviction notices and warnings, many people remained nearby at the time of the incident.

The tragedy drew immediate reactions from political figures. Cellou Dalein Diallo, one of Guinea's main opposition leaders and a former prime minister who is currently in exile abroad, expressed dismay over the accident on Facebook. He pointed out that the closure of the dump had been publicly announced for the exact day of the disaster and called upon the competent authorities to establish the circumstances of the incident with full transparency.

The Dar Es Salam landfill has a history of stability concerns. A previous collapse at the same site, triggered by torrential rains, claimed lives in past years, raising long-standing concerns about the safety of poorly managed waste disposal sites in densely populated urban areas. Guinea is led by General Mamadi Doumbouya, who came to power following a coup in 2021 and was subsequently elected president in December 2025.

Emergency response operations remain active at the site as authorities continue to assess the full extent of the structural damage and investigate the systemic safety failures surrounding the municipal waste facility.