CONAKRY — A landslide at a landfill in Conakry, Guinea, killed 30 people on August 23, 2026. The collapse of the waste mound injured 22 others after heavy overnight rains triggered the disaster.

The incident occurred at approximately 2 a.m. local time in the Dar es Salam area of the Gbessia commune. The landslide engulfed nearby tents and shacks where residents were living. Six people sustained serious injuries while 16 others suffered light injuries.

Rescue workers used excavators and other tools to clear the site following the collapse. Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah visited the location on Sunday to assess the damage and supervise the response efforts. Lancine Sylla, Head of Dar-es-Salaam suburb, provided an update on the recovery operations. "We have pulled out 18 bodies that were taken to the morgue," Sylla said.

The government had previously identified the site as a hazard. Minister of Territorial Administration Djenab Toure announced on Thursday that the government was closing the landfill because it was unsafe. The government stated that waste from the landfill was to be relocated outside Conakry.

Lieutenant Colonel Baldé Mamadou Bailo, sanitation officer for the Military Engineering Battalion, stated the site had been designated for closure on Sunday. Authorities issued eviction notices to locals living around the landfill prior to the incident.

Cire Diallo, a resident affected by the disaster, described the personal toll of the event. "I have lost all my children. All I can do is put my trust in God," Diallo said.

Former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo commented on the timing of the tragedy relative to the planned closure. "This tragedy is all the more worrying because the closure of the dump had been announced for this Sunday, August 23. It is now up to the competent authorities to establish, with full transparency, the circumstances that led to this disaster and to draw all the necessary conclusions, Cellou Dalein Diallo said. Dienabou Touré, Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, addressed the future of those displaced. We will ensure that the remaining families are relocated elsewhere, Touré said. The government statement urged people to remain calm, show solidarity, and strictly follow the instructions of rescue services and the competent authorities."

Why It Matters

The death toll of 30 represents an increase from a previous incident at the same location. A landslide at the same site killed 10 people in 2017. The current event points to ongoing safety concerns at the facility despite prior warnings and planned interventions. The collapse occurred just days after officials announced the landfill would be closed due to safety risks.

Economic conditions in the country provide context for the presence of residents near the hazardous site. According to a World Bank report published in April 2026, 3.7 million of Guinea's 15.1 million people live on less than $4.20 per day. This data point illustrates the broader socioeconomic environment in which the landfill community existed. Guinea holds the world's largest bauxite reserves, yet poverty remains widespread among its population.

Timeline

In 2017, a landslide at the same site killed 10 people.

On August 23, 2026, a landslide at a landfill in Conakry, Guinea, killed 30 people. On that same date, Cellou Dalein Diallo stated, "This tragedy is all the more worrying because the closure of the dump had been announced for this Sunday, August 23. It is now up to the competent authorities to establish, with full transparency, the circumstances that led to this disaster and to draw all the necessary conclusions. The landslide took place in the Dar es Salam area of the Gbessia commune in Conakry on August 23, 2026. Also on August 23, 2026, Lancine Sylla stated, We have pulled out 18 bodies that were taken to the morgue."

What's New

Cellou Dalein Diallo stated, This tragedy is all the more worrying because the closure of the dump had been announced for this Sunday, August 23. Dienabou Touré stated, "We will ensure that the remaining families are relocated elsewhere."