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.
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”.
