Landslide kills 7 in Ivory Coast
2008-06-30 08:16
Abidjan - A landslide triggered by heavy rains on Sunday in the Ivory Coast killed at least seven people as their wooden homes were washed away in an Abidjan shantytown, firefighters said.
"So far, we have found seven bodies and four people who were injured," a member of the emergency services said.
The affected neighbourhood lied in an area of the country's economic capital adjoining one of its wealthiest districts.
Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, 350km away in Bouake, immediately ordered his minister for the economy, Charles Koffi Diby, to the scene, another officer added.
The west African nation's rainy season had been under way for several weeks already. Each year, such landslides kill dozens.