Mozambique Garbage Pile Collapses Amid Heavy Rainfall, Killing 17
At Least 17 Killed After Garbage Heap Collapses in Mozambique
AP, “Mozambique Garbage Pile Collapses Amid Heavy Rainfall, Killing 17”, 19 Feb 2018:
At least 17 people were killed when the three-story trash heap came tumbling down.
At a glance:
At least 17 people were killed when a large garbage mound collapsed amid heavy rains in Mozambique.The deadly incident occurred on the outskirts of the country’s capital city, Maputo.Heavy rainfall has been blamed for causing the three-story mound to give way.
A large garbage mound gave way during heavy rains in Mozambique’s capital city on Monday, killing at least 17 people, officials said.
A search for additional victims continued at the Hulene garbage dump on the outskirts of Maputo, and authorities feared they’d find more bodies. The huge mound rose to the height of a three-story building in a poor, densely populated area of the city, Portuguese news agency Lusa said.
Several homes were destroyed and many residents left their homes, fearing additional collapses.
“The mountains of garbage collapsed on the houses and many families were still inside these residences,” Fatima Belchoir, a national disaster official, told Lusa. Authorities are trying to help people who lost their homes, she said.
The Hulene garbage dump is the largest such facility in Maputo. People often comb through the garbage, searching for food and items to sell.
Health workers have long raised concerns about the impact of the fumes, flies and other hazards of the dump on the surrounding community. Municipal officials have previously discussed the closure of the dump.
Posted by Hygenia on Sun, 23 Sep 2018 16:20 | #
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