More than 300 dead and 600 missing after ‘river of mud’ hits city

More than 300 people are dead and 600 missing after massive mudslides hit Sierra Leone’s capital.

Bodies washed up on a beach and workers searched for those buried beneath their homes yesterday after they were hit by a “river of mud”..

The Connaught Hospital mortuary in Freetown was overwhelmed with bodies following Monday’s heavy rains.

Charles Mambu, a civil societyactivistandresident of one affected area, Mount Sugarloaf,said:“thesizeof the destruction as a result of the disaster is such that the number of victims who may not come out alive may likely exceed the number of dead bodies already recovered.”

In a sign of hope, he said, “two bodies were brought out alive from the debris”.

Government spokesman Cornelius Deveaux said rescue operations began early yesterday to remove people still believed to be buried in the rubble in the impoverished west African nation. Heavy equipment was used to dig into the piles of red mud.

Mr Deveaux said definitive death figures were unknown “as the mortuary is overwhelmed with corpses – men, women and children.

“Contingency plans are being put in place to mitigate the outbreak of diseases like cholera.”

Sulaiman Parker, an environmental protection officer at Freetown City Council, said bodies will be buried in the next 48 hours.

Some rescue workers and volunteers dug through the mud and debris with their bare hands in a desperate search for missing relatives.

Military personnel have been deployed to help the operation.

Abdul Nasir, programme coordinator for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said: “I have never seen anything like it.

“A river of mud came out of nowhere and swallowed entire communities, just wiped them away.

“We are racing against time, more flooding and the risk of disease to help these affected communities survive and cope with their loss.”

An estimated 9,000 people have been affected, Mr Nasir added.

Many poor parts of Sierra Leone’s capital are close to sea level and have poor drainage systems, exacerbating flooding during the rainy season. Freetown is also plagued by unregulated building of large houses in hilltop areas.

Thousands of makeshift settlements in and around the capital were severely affected.

Deforestation for firewood and charcoal is one of the main reasons for worsening flooding and mudslides.