More than 300 die in mudslides
MUDSLIDES and torrential flooding killed more than 300 people in and around Sierra Leone’s capital of Freetown early yesterday following heavy rain, with many victims trapped in homes buried under tonnes of mud.
Survivors and volunteers dug through the mud and debris at times with their bare hands in a desperate search for missing relatives, and military personnel were deployed to help with the rescue operation in the West African nation.
Sierra Leone’s national broadcaster announced that the death toll had risen to more than 300.
Initial Red Cross estimates said as many as 3000 people were left homeless by the disaster and that figure was expected to rise.
Communications and electricity also were affected.
The mortuary at Connaught Hospital was overwhelmed by the number of dead, and bodies had to be spread out on the floor, coroner’s technician Sinneh Kamara said.
The toll did not include the untold numbers buried alive in their homes as they slept.
More bodies also were expected to be found as floodwaters receded.