At least 30 people died Sunday morning after a massive landslide at the Dar Es Salam landfill buried nearby homes in Conakry, Guinea [1].
The disaster highlights the lethal risks facing residents living near unregulated waste sites in urban outskirts, where infrastructure often fails during extreme weather.
The collapse occurred on Aug. 24, 2026 [4], following heavy rains that destabilized the waste heap. The landslide surged into adjacent residential areas, trapping inhabitants under debris. While some reports place the death toll at 22 [2], other sources said at least 30 people have died [1].
Residents of the area had long warned government officials about the instability of the landfill. The Dar Es Salam site, located on the outskirts of the city, had become a known hazard due to its size and proximity to housing. The government had previously announced plans to close the site, but the facility remained operational until the collapse [1].
Emergency crews worked through Sunday to recover bodies from the rubble. The scale of the heap made search operations difficult as rescuers navigated unstable piles of refuse and mud. The event follows a pattern of rain-triggered landslides in the region, a recurring threat during the wet season.
Government officials have not yet released a final count of the missing or injured. The disaster has renewed calls from local community leaders for the immediate relocation of families living in the shadow of the city's waste infrastructure.
“At least 30 people died Sunday morning after a massive landslide at the Dar Es Salam landfill buried nearby homes.”
This tragedy underscores the systemic failure of urban waste management in Conakry. The fact that the government had already planned to close the site suggests an awareness of the danger, yet the lack of urgent execution left vulnerable populations exposed. As extreme weather events increase the frequency of heavy rainfall, the persistence of oversized, unstable landfills near residential zones creates a predictable cycle of disaster for the city's poorest residents.
