Another Kiteezi-like Landfill Tragedy Kills 30 People

CONAKRY, GUINEA — A deadly collapse at a landfill in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, has revived painful memories of Uganda’s Kiteezi disaster, after a towering mound of garbage gave way following heavy overnight rains and buried homes and makeshift shelters.

Initial reports put the death toll at 23, but Guinean authorities later revised the figure to 30, with several others injured and rescue teams continuing to search through the debris.

The disaster occurred at the Dar Es Salam landfill in the Gbessia commune of Conakry at about 2 a.m. on Sunday, August 23, 2026.

Heavy rainfall triggered the collapse of the enormous waste mound, sending rubbish into nearby settlements and destroying homes. Government officials said six people suffered serious injuries, while others sustained less severe injuries.

Excavators, security personnel, emergency workers and volunteers were deployed to clear the waste and search for survivors.

The timing has added to the shock. Guinea’s authorities had announced plans to close the Dar Es Salam landfill because of safety concerns during the rainy season, and residents living nearby had reportedly received eviction notices.

The government had also planned to move waste outside Conakry. Despite those measures, many people remained around the landfill when the collapse occurred.

Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization Dienabou Touré said authorities would ensure that the remaining families were relocated to safer areas.

The tragedy bears striking similarities to Uganda’s Kiteezi landfill disaster of August 2024, when a huge section of Kampala’s main garbage dump collapsed after heavy rains, burying homes and residents.

Uganda’s death toll eventually reached 35, while dozens of people were reported missing in the immediate aftermath.

The Kiteezi landfill had for years been the city’s principal waste disposal site, with residents repeatedly raising concerns about the dangers posed by the growing mountain of garbage.

In both disasters, heavy rainfall became the immediate trigger for the collapse of massive accumulations of waste, but the human toll also exposed the danger of communities living alongside overloaded or hazardous dumpsites.

Kiteezi prompted Uganda to move toward decommissioning the landfill, while Guinea’s latest disaster came just as authorities were preparing to shut Dar Es Salam.

The parallel has placed renewed attention on waste management, urban planning and the protection of vulnerable communities living beside major landfill sites.