(CNN) A huge mountain of garbage that towered over homes in an impoverished district of Mozambique's capital has collapsed, killing 17 people, officials said.

The 15-meter-high (about 45-foot-high) dump gave way in the early hours of Monday, burying residents as they slept. A mother and her newborn baby were among the dead, Red Cross officials reported.

Days of heavy rain are believed to have triggered the collapse in the deprived and densely populated Hulene district of Maputo.

Seven homes were crushed by the debris. Families and nearby residents joined rescue teams to help search for survivors.

The Mozambique Red Cross, which has had teams on the ground since Monday morning distributing relief, says all the victims have now been accounted for.

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