At least six people have been killed after torrential rains caused flash floods and landslides in parts of Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown, privately-owned Sierra Leone Telegraph website reported. (BBC)
The six, including a family of three, were killed after a mudslide destroyed two homes in an informal settlement in Looking Town, situated on a steep slope above the Kissy neighbourhood.
Freetown Mayor, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, visited areas affected by the heavy rains and urged those affected to move to safe grounds.
“Like many other informal settlements, there is no road to the community, it is accessed via a 15-minute walk along a narrow footpath. As I spoke with survivors and neighbours, I could clearly see a huge boulder positioned precariously above the community. A poignant reminder of the risk of disaster this community lives with daily,” the website quoted Ms Aki-Sawyerr as saying.
She thanked the different agencies that came to the aid of the affected residents.
Reports on social media say the landslide swept away houses in Looking Town, while in Tengbeh Town, Kanikay and Kaningo, homes were submerged in water and roadways became flowing rivers.
This is the second spate of heavy rains in Freetown in the last two weeks.
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