14 dead, seven missing in Bolivian landslides

Two landslides in Bolivia left 14 people dead and seven missing, national police chief Romulo Delgado said on Monday.

Torrential rain caused the landslides on Saturday and Sunday on the road linking the capital La Paz to the northern town of Caranavi, the gateway to the Amazon rainforest.

President Evo Morales said on his Twitter account that helicopters were being used to transport 34 people who were injured to local hospitals.

He also posted pictures of himself at the scene alongside rescue teams.

Morales advised people to stay clear of the area and said humanitarian flights would be organized for emergency cases.

Saturday's landslide left 13 people dead, Delgado told the Panamericana private radio station, with Sunday's killing one person.

Pupils were due to return from their holidays on Monday but the local education authority in Caranavi postponed the start of the new school year by a week.

Bolivia's rainy season generally lasts from November to March with January and February often the wettest months.

Landslide kills 17 at Guinea gold mine: police
Conakry (AFP) Feb 4, 2019 - At least 17 people have been killed in a landslide at a gold mine in northeastern Guinea, local police said Monday.

A local elected official confirmed the death toll, saying he had "seen at least 17 dead" after the accident which took place late Sunday in Norassoba, some 35 kilometres (20 miles) from the town of Siguiri.

"This death toll is clearly provisional as the villagers say there are still many people missing," police lieutenant Marcus Bangoura said.

One local inhabitant said "the landslide apparently took everyone by surprise, there was no sign of danger in this mine where we have been working for several years."

There are many such accidents in mines in mineral-rich Guinea where thousands risk their lives working in illegal pits.

The work becomes even more dangerous in the rainy season.

Guinea has gold, diamonds, bauxite and huge reserves of iron ore but the west African country's population struggle to make ends meet.

The miners include locals and those from nearby countries such as Burkina Faso, Liberia and Ivory Coast.

Authorities say there are more than 20,000 such miners in the Siguiri region.

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