Sierra Leone, Africa We are waiting to know the situation of our brothers to the more than 400 people killed by floods. – ???

[Bible Speaks]

Sierra Leone, Africa

We are waiting to know the situation of our brothers to the more than 400 people killed by floods. ??????

[Bible Speaks]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/14/sierra-leone-landslide-hundreds-feared-buried-houses-submerged/

 

[Bible Speaks]

A United Nations representative in Sierra Leone said Wednesday he is losing hope that rescuers will find survivors after deadly mudslides in Sierra Leone's capital killed more than 300 people.

Sunil Saigal, the U.N. Resident Coordinator for Sierra Leone, told British broadcaster Sky News he believes rescue operations will soon cease as "the hope of finding further survivors diminishes."

"It remains a priority to recover the remains of those who perished in the landslide, but also equally to help survivors and help the community," Saigal said.

He said the U.N. is working with the government to provide "physical protection" for those thousands of people displaced or otherwise affected by the landslide.

Family of victims of heavy flooding and mudslides that killed more than 300 people in Regent wait to identify their bodies at Connaught hospital morgue in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Aug. 16 , 2017.

"We're working with the authorities to prevent disease outbreaks, cholera. You know we're in the rainy season, waterborne diseases are rife, mosquitoes, malaria is a risk," Saigal said.

Searchers told VOA's English to Africa service there is little hope of finding more survivors.

A Freetown mortuary is overwhelmed with bodies. While some families have identified some of the dead, officials are planning to begin mass burials Thursday.

A spokesman for the Red Cross told the French News Agency that the group had accounted for at least 312 dead. Officials say thousands of others have been left homeless.

The mudslide occurred early Monday while many Freetown residents were sleeping, after hours of heavy rains. Witnesses described a particularly hard-hit area in the Regent district, saying roads became "churning rivers of mud." 

Photos and video posted by local residents showed people chest deep in mud trying to traverse the roads.

Officials expect corpses to pop up in unexpected places for months to come, as many bodies were carried away from the Regent area by floodwaters.

Freetown is often hit by heavy rain and flooding for several months a year.

UN: Finding Survivors in Sierra Leone Mudslide Unlikely https://www.voanews.com/a/3988644.html via @VOANews

[Bible Speaks]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/08/sierra-leone-warns-mudslides-rain-forecast-170817180547512.html

WARNING MORE MUDSLIDES COMING QUICKLY! ??????

[Bible Speaks]

The United Nations said Friday the death toll from mudslides in Sierra Leone's capital Freetown has surpassed 400.

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Another 600 people remain unaccounted for as workers seek to recover more bodies from the thick mud and debris of smashed homes. Those efforts are hampered by rain, which remains in the forecast in coming days.

The government has began burying the bodies that have been recovered Thursday.

Sierra Leone's President Ernest Bai Koromo offered his condolences and support during a burial ceremony. "As we mourn, let me assure you that we all support the bereaved families and the injured. We will continue to stand by you and share with you your grief and help those of you that are traumatized and depressed, and in the process we all are committed that even with this difficulty Sierra Leone will rise again. May the God and the good Lord have mercy on the souls of our compatriots that have departed. May they be granted eternal rest. Thank you." The government warned of a new danger from a large crack that has opened on a mountainside where residents were told to evacuate.

Sierra Leone has asked for international assistance and said it’s doing all it can to stem the outbreak of deadly disease, while human rights organization, Amnesty International, issued a statement accusing the government of failing to learn from similar past incidents.

The mudslide occurred after hours of heavy rains early Monday, while many Freetown residents were still sleeping. Witnesses described a particularly hard-hit area in the Regent district, saying roads became "churning rivers of mud." UNICEF called the scale of damage from the mudslides “unprecedented” and said its teams have been providing safe drinking water and sanitation to the large number of children affected by the disaster. “Children have been left homeless, vulnerable and terrified. We must do all we can to protect them from disease and exploitation,” said UNICEF Representative Hamid El-Bashir Ibrahim.

About VOA

The Voice of America (VOA) publishes accurate, balanced, and comprehensive news and information to an international audience. It started in 1942 as a radio news service for people living in closed and war-torn societies and has since grown into a multimedia news operation. VOA now reaches people on web, mobile devices and social media in more than 40 languages.

[Bible Speaks]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/14/sierra-leone-landslide-hundreds-feared-buried-houses-submerged/

 

[Pauly]

I spoke to a Brother in the Ghana Branch yesterday who told me that several brothers had lost their homes but as far as he knew no brothers had lost their lives. 

[Guest Nicole]

Thanks @Pauly