At least 17 people have been killed in Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, after a huge mound of refuse collapsed on their homes.
Many more residents were injured when the pile of waste, some 15m
(49ft) high, gave way during the heavy rains this morning as rescue
workers continue to search for people still trapped.
The city of Maputo has experienced heavy rainfall since Sunday, which
has damaged homes and flooded roads.
Several properties were crushed
in the incident in the Hulene district of Maputo, one of the poorest
parts of the capital as it occured while people were sleeping inside.
Local media say the trash dump rose to the height of a three-story building.
One of the residents in the area, Mario Castigo said, “I heard people screaming. I was alone, I couldn’t help. The water
sliding pushed the trash, and it covered the houses down the hill. It
took the lives of families, children,” Castigo said.
A spokesman for the emergency services, Leonilde Pelembe, warned that more victims could be trapped under the waste saying “the
information we received from local authorities is that the number of
people living in those houses exceeds the number of deaths recorded”.
