30 missing after deadly rubbish dump collapse in Sri Lanka

0
124

At least 30 people are still missing and 28 are now confirmed dead after a huge rubbish dump collapsed in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, officials say.

The news came after more bodies were found following Friday’s disaster at Meethotamulla on the city outskirts.

A number of those killed were children. Angry residents say their warnings of risks posed by the dump were ignored.

The 300ft (91m) high pile of rotting debris shifted after floods and a fire, destroying dozens of homes.

Residents had been demanding the dump’s removal for years, saying it was causing health problems.

The government has now announced the closure of the dump. Reports said 800 tonnes of waste were added to it every day.

Officials say rubbish will now be placed in two other sites.

Last month, a landslide at a rubbish dump in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, killed at least 113 people.