The side of Mount Sugar Loaf in the Regent District of Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, collapsed in the early hours of Monday, 14 August 2017, after a night of heavy rainfall, destroying dozens of houses and killing hundreds of people.
Muddy water and debris flew through the streets of Freetown after the rainfall, with large part of the damage being attributed to the massive mudslide that occured on the outskirts of the city. The death toll has risen to about 500 people as of Monday, 20 August, according to Aljazeera, while more than 600 are still missing. Rescue officials warn that the chances of finding survivors are decreasing day by day.
The capital's Regent district is thought to be the area worst-hit by the disaster. About 2,000 people have been made homeless, as their houses were covered in mud, while 10,000 have been forced away from their homes. The government has called for the evacuation of another 10,000 people living on an unstable hillside in Freetown, where a large crack has opened.
As National Geographic reports, the Regent landslide had likely been building for weeks, before being finally triggered by last Monday's rains. As explained in their article, that region of Sierra Leone saw more rainfall than what is typically seen during this time of year, meaning that the ground there was most probably oversaturated. As the ground oversaturates, it becomes waterlogged and loses friction, so when it eventually gives way, a mudslide can rapidly speed up and pick up heavy boulders and rocks capable of intense damage.
According to National Geographic, many experts are also blaming the lack of adequate infrastructure and deforestation for the intensity of the slide. What is more, many of Sierra Leone's impoverished areas are close to sea level and have poor drainage systems, exacerbating flooding during the country's rainy season.
Image Gallery credits: Society for Climate Change Communication Sierra Leone, The Freetown Society [Twitter], CNN
Sources: Aljazeera, The Telegraph, BBC, National Geographic
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