Israel has delivered thousands of meals to Sierra Leone as the West African country recovers from a deadly mudslide that devastated its capital, Freetown.

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Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said Tuesday that enough food for 10,000 meals had been delivered. He added Israel is also planning to send medical aid.

Photo: AP

The ministry said the relief effort was being spearheaded by the Israeli Embassy in Senegal.

The Red Cross estimates that 600 people are still missing as the death toll from massive mudslides in Sierra Leone’s capital is certain to rise.

Bodies have begun washing up on a beach in Freetown. Workers continue to search for an untold number of people buried in their homes.

Authorities say more than 300 people were killed in and around Freetown on Monday following heavy rains. Many were trapped under tons of mud as they slept.

Initial Red Cross estimates have said as many as 3,000 people are left homeless and the figure is expected to rise.

Photo: AFP

The mortuary at Connaught Hospital in central Freetown has been overwhelmed by the number of dead, with bodies spread out on the floor.

An estimated 9,000 people have been affected in some way by the disaster, said Abdul Nasir, program coordinator for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

“I have never seen anything like it,” he said. “A river of mud came out of nowhere and swallowed entire communities, just wiped them away. We are racing against time, more flooding and the risk of disease to help these affected communities survive and cope with their loss.”