Sierra Leone mudslide leaves hundreds lying 'dead underneath the rubble'

Global warming is causing an increase in extreme precipitation events.

Updated August 15, 2017 08:03:08 (Must be Australia time. It's late Aug. 14 in the U.S.)

More than 200 people have been killed in a mudslide on the outskirts of Sierra Leone's capital of Freetown following heavy rains and flooding.

The Red Cross said at least 205 bodies had been taken to the central morgue in Freetown.

Police and military personnel were at the scene in the mountain town of Regent searching for people trapped in the debris.

Standing in the rain, residents sobbed as they mourned family members and waited for news of those missing.

Adama Kamara wept as she described a failed attempt to rescue her seven-week-old child.

"We were inside when we heard the mudslide approaching. I attempted to grab my baby but the mud was too fast. She was covered alive," said Ms Kamara, who escaped with bruises.

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The death toll is expected to rise as more bodies are recovered, Red Cross spokesman Abu Bakarr Tarawallie said.

Vice-President Victor Foh said "it is likely that hundreds are lying dead underneath the rubble".

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[An update]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-40926187

More than 300 people have been killed in mudslides and flooding near Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown.

A hillside in the Regent area collapsed early on Monday following heavy rains, leaving many houses covered in mud.

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A Sierra Leonean disaster management official, Candy Rogers, said that "over 2,000 people are homeless" as a result of the mudslide in the Regent area, AFP reports.

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People are wailing uncontrollably; one woman told me she had lost more than 11 members of her family in the disaster, while another man said he had lost his wife, mother-in-law and children.

Hundreds of people are still coming to the area to look for their loved ones. Some of them told me they have not been able to find them.

In fact, there is no sign of the dozens of homes that were built at the foot of Sugar Loaf mountain.

They are covered in mud, with large areas of mire in some parts. It looks strong, but it is flaky. The concern is that if people walk there they risk sinking in the mud.

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