Heavy rains caused a 15-meter pile of garbage to collapse early Monday morning in Mozambique’s capital Maputo, burying seven houses, killing 17 people and injuring several others.
The incident occurred in the impoverished neighborhood of Hulene, a few kilometers from Maputo. The houses were illegality constructed and authorities had requested for the residents to leave. The collapse is reported to have happened around 3:00 AM local time.
Despedida Rita, a councillor for the Ka Mavota municipality spoke to reporters, saying ”Up to now 17 dead bodies were recovered. We fear more might be unaccounted for. So we will keep searching for bodies buried underneath the garbage pile”.
Many people in major African cities have been pushed to squat on land they do not own while seeking for better-paying jobs they can only find in urban areas. The pressure to meet up with accommodation demand has resulted in dwellings built of land which is sometimes marginal and unsafe.
Neba Benson,
BaretaNews Foreign Correspondent/Analyst
