Emergency workers to resume search for missing on Sunday after 20 bodies extracted from rubbish and mud

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Emergency workers looking for survivors after a massive rubbish dump collapsed in Sri Lanka suspended their search on Saturday night, having already extracted 19 bodies from the rubble and mud.



The 90-metre-high dump in the capital Colombo collapsed after flames engulfed it late on Friday, the nation’s New Year’s Day, and witnesses said around 100 houses could have been buried.

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The site has been used to dump Colombo’s garbage for the past few years as authorities sought to give the capital a face-lift. But residents living in tiny homes in the area have protested against all the waste being dumped there because of health hazards.

The rescue mission will resume at 6am local time on Sunday, according to the military official heading the operation, Sudantha Ranasinghe.

“The main obstacle is we don’t have a clear idea of how many people are buried as nobody is claiming that their relatives are missing, unlike on previous occasions,” Ranasinghe said.

“We don’t have any deadline and we will continue until we clear everything.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Members of the military work search for survivors after a rubbish dump in Colombo collapsed. Photograph: Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters

The police said they were investigating whether the landslide was natural or man-made. They also said about 145 houses had been damaged.

“We heard a massive sound. It was like thunder. Tiles in our house got cracked. Black water started coming in,” said one survivor who gave his name as Kularathna.

“We tried to get out but we were trapped inside. We shouted for help and were rescued later.“

Another resident, Mohamed, said three of his neighbours were missing and estimated that more than 100 people could have been buried.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Saturday that the government would soon remove the garbage dump from the area.



He also said 625 people whose homes were either destroyed or under threat from the collapse were being housed in nearby schools.