FILE - In this file photo dated Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017, Volunteers prepare graves during a mass funeral for victims of heavy flooding and mudslides in Regent at a cemetery in Freetown, Sierra Leone. (Manika Kamara, FILE/Associated Press)FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — More than 1,000 people have died from the mudslide and flood that hit Sierra Leone’s capital nearly two weeks ago, a local leader and a minister said Sunday during services honoring the disaster’s victims. Regent is an area on the outskirts of Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, where the mudslide hit. “It may well be over 1,000 Sierra Leoneans we are mourning now. Some critics accuse Sierra Leone’s government of failing to learn from past disasters in Freetown, where many poor areas are near sea level and lack good drainage.

Source: Washington Post August 27, 2017 20:30 UTC