Flags fly at half mast in Sierra Leone for victims of mudslide

Record ID: 906761

  • Title: Flags fly at half mast in Sierra Leone for victims of mudslide
  • Date: 17th August 2017
  • Summary: FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE (AUGUST 17, 2017) (REUTERS) VEHICLES DRIVING PAST FLAGS AT HALF MAST ON ROUNDABOUT VARIOUS OF FLAGS AT HALF MAST VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING ON AVENUE CARS DRIVING IN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAUDA SAFER, RESIDENT OF FREETOWN, SAYING: "The flag is down because many people lost their lives due to the heavy rain and all the flooding that took place at Regent. So the government decided to mourn for those people who lost their lives. That's why the government decided to let the flag down so that we will realise that we have lost our loved ones, brothers and sisters, you know, we are aware that this storm or that flooding took place." (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOSEPH WILLIA, RESIDENT OF FREETOWN, SAYING: "The flags are down in order to honour the people who have died in the incident that occur. But all that I am trying to say is that the government also have to put on more effort in order to help the people in our country because the trouble is the destruction is too much, the government has to put on more effort to help the people in Sierra Leone." VARIOUS OF FLAGS AT HALF MAST ON SIDE OF STREET
  • Embargoed: 31st August 2017 11:46
  • Keywords: Sierra Leone mudslide Freetown mudslide Sierra Leone flooding national mourning flags half mast
  • Location: FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE
  • City: FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE
  • Country: Sierra Leone
  • Topics: Disaster/Accidents
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016UJN7EV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Flags were flown at half mast across Sierra Leone on Thursday (August 17) after the government declared seven days of national mourning in remembrance of the victims of a mudslide that swept away homes on the edge of the capital.
    President Ernest Bai Koroma announced on national TV channel, SLBC on Tuesday (August 15) that the country would observe a week-long mourning in remembrance of at least 400 people killed in the disaster.
    Flooding swept away homes in Regent, a town on the edge of Freetown on Monday (August 14) in one of Africa's worst flood disasters in living memory.
    Emergency response teams have raced to dig out survivors and dispose of bodies but the central morgue is overwhelmed, and many bodies are still feared trapped under mud and rubble.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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