400 dead and 1,500 missing as floods and mudslides engulf city
MORE than 1,500 people are missing since devastating mudslides and torrential flooding swept through Sierra Leone, it emerged yesterday.
Rescue workers have uncovered nearly 400 bodies so far on the outskirts of capital Freetown following Monday’s disaster.
The area’s chief coroner yesterday said he expects at least 500 bodies to be found as the search continues.
With many victims trapped in homes buried under mud, Britain is helping to co-ordinate rescue efforts for victims.
International Development Secretary Priti Patel said: “We are already working with the government of Sierra Leone to co-ordinate the rescue efforts and are ready to provide further assistance to those in need.”
More than 3,000 people have been left homeless by the disaster in the west African nation.
Bodies are lying on the floor and outside the city’s overloaded morgue, according to witnesses.
Aid agency Save the Children said a member of staff and his young children are among the missing after their house was buried during the heavy rains.
President Ernest Bai Koroma asked residents of Regent and other flooded areas in Freetown to leave their homes so military personnel and other rescue workers could search for survivors. He said that rescue centres had been set up around the capital to assist victims.
Meanwhile, bulldozers dug through mud and rubble at the foot of Mount Sugar Loaf, where many had been asleep when part of the mountainside collapsed.
Flooding is not unusual in Sierra Leone, where makeshift settlements can easily be swept away. The government said a number of illegal buildings had been built in the area.
An ActionAid spokesman said last night: “While search and rescue is still ongoing, there are currently over 1,500 people reported missing and this number is expected to rise.”