Guinea buried 36 people on Friday after a landfill collapse in Conakry, a tragedy that has left the capital in mourning and prompted authorities to clear housing near the dump. The bodies of the victims were taken to a mosque in Bambeto for Muslim prayers before burial at the Bambeto cemetery, as thousands gathered to mourn.
Officials revised the toll to 36 and said the dead include 17 Sierra Leonean nationals. Many victims were sleeping when part of the massive garbage heap near homes in the Dar-es-Salam neighbourhood gave way overnight between August 22 and 23.
Survivors and relatives expressed deep distress at the ceremony. Aboubacar Camara, who escaped the collapse, said, "We are completely disillusioned. We are deeply troubled by this tragedy. We don’t know what to do." Several women were overcome with grief during the service and collapsed into trance-like states.
Conakry Governor General Mahawa Cisse addressed the crowd, saying, "Guinea is in mourning, and we share the suffering of the victims' loved ones." Family members, religious leaders and government officials attended the burial.
Emergency services report around 20 people remain hospitalised and more than 1,600 people have received assistance. Since the collapse, authorities have been demolishing houses in areas judged at risk from the rubbish dump, citing the need to protect residents from another disaster. Those whose homes were removed have criticised the conditions of the operations and are calling for relocation assistance.
The funeral highlighted both immediate human loss and broader questions about waste management and urban risk in the capital. The community faces the dual tasks of caring for the injured and organising longer-term shelter and support for people displaced by the demolitions. For now, Conakry mourns while emergency teams continue relief work and officials deal with the fallout from the collapse.
