Dakar — Thousands of people in Sierra Leone who were left homeless by a mudslide that killed at least 400 urgently needed food, shelter and healthcare, aid agencies said on Tuesday, as they raced to prevent outbreaks of fatal diseases such as cholera and typhoid. A mountainside collapsed on the outskirts of the capital, Freetown, on Monday, burying dozens of homes as people slept. It was one of Africa’s deadliest mudslides in decades. Rescue workers had recovered 400 bodies so far in the mountain town of Regent and the search continued for more, Freetown mayor Sam Gibson said on Tuesday. “We estimate that at least 3,000 people are homeless … they need shelter, medical assistance and food,” Sierra Red Cross Society spokesman Abu Bakarr Tarawallie said. “We are also fearful of outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and typhoid,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation from Freetown. “We can only hope that this does not happen.” Contaminated water and water-logging often unleash potentia...
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