At least 30 people have been killed after a towering heap of rubbish collapsed at the largest landfill in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, following heavy overnight rains, authorities said.

The landslide struck shortly after 2am (02:00 GMT) on Sunday at the Dar es Salam open-air dump, sending a mountain of waste crashing onto nearby shacks.

Rescue workers dug through debris to reach survivors as six critically injured people were taken to hospital and several homes were reported destroyed.

The main dumping ground for the city of two million people had been scheduled for closure on Sunday, officials said.

Residents had received eviction notices, but many families were still in the area when the collapse happened. “We will ensure that the remaining families are relocated elsewhere,” said Territorial Administration Minister Dienabou Toure who was at the scene.

Despite vast mineral wealth, including the world’s largest bauxite reserves, Guinea remains one of West Africa’s poorest countries, with nearly half the population living below the national poverty line.