Sierra Leone President declares 7-day national mourning for victims

Sierra Leone's President Ernest Bai Koroma declared seven days of mourning across the country on Tuesday after a massive mudslide killing nearly 300 people in the capital city of Freetown on Monday.

According to a statement from the Office of the President, the national mourning will start from August 16 to 22, during which period all flags would be flown at half-mast.

"The President has further decided to invoke MAC-C (Military Aid to Civil Community) and to raise the national security threat level to level 3 in direct response to the unfolding emergency situation," the statement said.

Emergency workers at the central morgue at Connaught hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone August 15, 2017.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Hon Cornnelius Deveaux told journalists earlier Tuesday in an emergency press briefing that the total number of deaths reported at the Connaught Hospital is 297, including 109 children and 83 women.

He said the search to identify corpses and possible survivors is still in progress as hundreds more are feared to remain missing after the mudslide hit.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)