Rescue efforts underway in Freetown, Sierra leone after mudslide kills 300

More than 300 people have been killed in mudslides and flooding near Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown.  

A hillside in the Regent area collapsed yesterday following heavy rains, leaving many houses covered in mud.  Reports at the scene say many people were asleep when the mudslide occurred.  

The number of casualties is expected to rise.  Locals were reportedly trying to recover bodies from the rubble and mud with their bare hands.  

The worst-hit area is thought to be the Regent district on the outskirts of Freetown, where dozens of houses were submerged when the hillside collapsed.

The head of communications at Sierra Leone Red Cross, Abubakar Tarawallie says people affected by the mudslide are in immediate need of shelter, blankets and other non-food items. 

He is therefore appealing for support.  Meanwhile,Connaught hospital, the main health facility in Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, is overstretched as a result of  deaths from the mudslide. The morgue  has received more than 200 corpses with the rest expected to be sent to other morgues.

SOURCE: BBC News