More than 300 killed in Sierra Leone mudslides and flooding

At least 270 bodies have been recovered from a mudslide in the outskirts of Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown and the search continues for more, the mayor said yesterday.

Authorities said more than 300 were killed in and around Freetown on Monday after heavy rains, with many vivtims trapped under tonnes of mud as they slept.

The toll from mudslides in the city was certain to rise as workers searched for people buried in their homes.

Dozens of houses were covered in mud and rocks when a mountainside collapsed in the town of Regent on Monday morning, in one of the deadliest natural disasters in Africa in recent years.

“We have a total of 270 corpses that we are now preparing for burial,” Freetown mayor Sam Gibson said.

A mass burial will free up space for more bodies in the central morgue, which is overcrowded.

President Ernest Bai Koroma urged residents of Regent and other flooded areas to relocate immediately so that military personnel and other rescue workers could continue to search for survivors. His office also encouraged people to move to safer parts of Freetown.

Rescue centres have been set up around the capital to help victims, he said.

Some rescue workers and volunteers were digging through the mud and debris with their bare hands. The army has also been sent to help with the operation.

Initial Red Cross estimates said as many as 3,000 people were now homeless, but the figure is expected to rise.