Three killed in garbage dump collapse in Rwandan capital: official

KIGALI, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed on the outskirts of Rwanda's capital Kigali after a huge mound of garbage collapsed on Wednesday and buried them under debris, a local official said on Friday.

The victims had gone to look for scrap metals from the garbage dump in Kicukiro district when it collapsed, Kagarama sector executive secretary Nathan Kanyesigye told Xinhua.

They include two women and a child, whose bodies were retrieved by residents and the police, said Kanyesigye.

He said the dump site has not been in use for about five years after it got filled and was closed by city authorities.

Authorities and residents had believed more bodies could have been buried under the garbage but a search was completed on Friday without finding any other victim, he added.

The official said it was not the first time the dump site had collapsed as one was killed in a recent collapse. Authorities have hence resolved to seal off the area to prevent people from going to search for scrap at the site, he said.

The accident at the Nyanza dumping site happened around 5 p.m. following heavy rains, according to local residents.

Residents were attracted to the dump site after one other person who was there screamed calling for rescue, said a resident. Enditem