Heavy rainfall has caused deadly flooding and mudslides in and around Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown. The worst hit areas reportedly are the coastal suburb of Racecourse as well as in Lumley and Regent on the outskirts of Freetown, where a hillside collapsed on Monday morning. More than 300 people have been killed so far according to the authorities, with hundreds still missing and thousands made homeless by the events.
UNOOSA has requested the activation of the European Commission Copernicus Emergency Mapping Service for the mudflow in Freetown. The United Nations Officer for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) has also requested the activation of the International Charter Space and Major Disasters on behalf of the Sierra Leone office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and of the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Sierra Leone.