Mozambique garbage mound collapses, killing 17

Heavy rains caused the collapse of huge garbage mound on the outskirts of Mozambique's capital of Maputo on Monday, killing an estimated 17 people. Debris from the Hulene garbage dump came crashing down on a densely populated, impoverished neighborhood, destroying an undetermined number of homes. "The mountains of garbage collapsed on the houses and many families were still inside these residences," Fatima Belchoir, a national disaster official, told the Portuguese news agency Lusa. The dump is the largest in Maputo, and the poor in the area often sift through the refuse looking for food and items they can sell.

Source: BBC News, The Associated Press