Sri Lanka rubbish dump collapse kills 19
- 7 years ago
At least 19 people, including five children, have died after a huge rubbish dump collapsed on to their homes in Sri Lanka, the army says.
The 300ft-high (91m) pile of rotting debris had shifted after floods and a fire then collapsed on Friday.
At least 40 homes on the edge of the dump were destroyed. The army said an unknown number of people were missing.
There had been concerns over the safety of the site in Colombo, with residents demanding it be cleared.
The AFP news agency said about 800 tonnes of waste were added to the Meethotamulla dump every day, and that the government had planned to remove it.
"We heard a massive sound. It was like thunder," one resident, Kularathna, told the Reuters news agency. "Tiles in our house got cracked. Black water started coming in."
The collapse occurred as many people were marking Aluth Avurudda, or the Sinhalese New Year, a major public holiday across Sri Lanka.
The 300ft-high (91m) pile of rotting debris had shifted after floods and a fire then collapsed on Friday.
At least 40 homes on the edge of the dump were destroyed. The army said an unknown number of people were missing.
There had been concerns over the safety of the site in Colombo, with residents demanding it be cleared.
The AFP news agency said about 800 tonnes of waste were added to the Meethotamulla dump every day, and that the government had planned to remove it.
"We heard a massive sound. It was like thunder," one resident, Kularathna, told the Reuters news agency. "Tiles in our house got cracked. Black water started coming in."
The collapse occurred as many people were marking Aluth Avurudda, or the Sinhalese New Year, a major public holiday across Sri Lanka.