179 Bodies Recovered From Sierra Leone Mudslide
The Red Cross confirm 179 bodies have been delivered to the central mortuary in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown,
after a mudslide within the outskirts of the city on Monday morning.
Red Cross spokesman, Abu Tarawallie, confirmed by telephone that the death toll is anticipated to rise as additional
bodies are recovered.
According to reports, the vice president of sierra leone Victor Foh said that two hundred people have seemingly been
killed in a very landslip within the outskirts of Freetown.
“It is likely that hundreds are lying dead beneath the rubble,” Mr. Foh told Reuters at the scene of the mudslide in
the mountain town of Regent, adding that a number of illegal buildings had been erected in the space.
“The disaster is therefore serious that i myself feel broken,” he added.
“We’re attempting to cordon (off) the area (and) evacuate the people.”
The mudslide happened in the early morning in the mountain town of Regent, where dozens of houses were
submerged after a night of serious rain.
A major rescue operation is now underway although emergency workers are struggling to reach the worst-affected
areas.
Mudslides and floods are fairly common during the rainy season in west africa, where deforestation and poor town
planning put residents at risk.
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