More than 300 dead as heavy rains turn Sierra Leone's capital into 'churning rivers of mud'
More than 300 people are thought to be dead after a hillside collapsed in Freetown, the capital of the west African nation of Sierra Leone, on Monday. Vice President Victor Bockarie Foh called the tragedy "so serious that I myself feel broken," the BBC reports.
Heavy rains caused Monday's mudslide, which buried dozens of people in their homes. An estimated 2,000 people throughout the capital will be left homeless from the flooding and waist-deep "churning rivers of mud," The Telegraph reports.
"The capacity at the mortuary is too small for the corpses," said Sinneh Kamara, the coroner technician for the local hospital. Emergency responders are still attempting to rescue survivors who might be trapped in their homes.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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