Facing risk of disease, Sierra Leone buries mudslide dead

Rescue workers are pictured after a mudslide in the mountain town of Regent, Sierra Leone August 14, 2017, in this image obtained from social media. UN/Linnea Van Wagenen/Social Media via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT.

FREETOWN, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Facing the threat of disease, Sierra Leone on Wednesday began burying hundreds of victims of a mudslide that swept away homes on the edge of the capital, one of Africa's worst flood disasters in living memory.

Hundreds of Freetown residents queued to identify relatives crushed by the mud on Monday in a valley on the outskirts of Freetown. Aid workers warned of an impending health crisis caused by about 400 corpses left out in the warm, fetid climate.

People inspect the damage after a mudslide in the mountain town of Regent, Sierra Leone August 14, 2017. REUTERS/Ernest Henry

Freetown chief coroner Seneh Dumbuya told Reuters the burial of 297 of the bodies was underway. They were being transported to the Ebola cemetery at Waterloo, about 20 miles (30 km) outside of Freetown, Dumbuya said.

"We cannot wait for tomorrow for the burial, as was suggested by government, because most of the bodies are decomposing," he said. "The burial will continue up till night."

Dozens of houses were buried when a mountainside collapsed in the rainy season in the town of Regent.

Rescue workers remove the rubble after a mudslide in the mountain town of Regent, Sierra Leone August 14, 2017. REUTERS/Ernest Henry

The country of 6 million people is one of the poorest in the world and was ravaged by West Africa's 2014-16 Ebola outbreak, which killed 4,000 people in the former British colony.

Emergency response teams have raced to dig out survivors and dispose of bodies but the central morgue is overwhelmed and many bodies are feared trapped under mud and rubble.

Sobbing and covering their noses from the stench, relatives stepped around corpses lying on the ground outside the morgue as the sheets covering them were lifted.

Residents save belongings in floodwaters after a mudslide in the mountain town of Regent, Sierra Leone August 14, 2017. REUTERS/Ernest Henry

"I came to identify my uncle in particular, but I couldn't find him," said 30-year-old Hawanatu Sesay, after her turn came to look through the morgue.

"Let his soul rest in peace," she said through tears.

Another man said he had identified his wife's body but had no news of his two young daughters. All had been buried when their house was engulfed in mud, he said.

Rescue workers search for survivors after a mudslide in the mountain town of Regent, Sierra Leone August 14, 2017. REUTERS/Ernest Henry

Chief coroner Seneh Dumbuya told Reuters on Tuesday that nearly 400 bodies had been brought in and that he anticipated more than 500 as the search continued. Authorities did not have an updated death toll on Wednesday.

The government summoned families to the morgue in a statement and said all unidentified corpses would be buried on Thursday and Friday.

Aid workers said there was a high risk of disease outbreaks such as cholera, as corpses are lying in the open in the heat.

Emergency workers are pictured at the central morgue at Connaught hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone August 15, 2017. REUTERS/Ernest Henry

Authorities have requested air conditioning units to keep the bodies cool and are in need of more protective gear such as masks, aprons and glove disposal stations, said Idalia Amaya, an emergency relief coordinator for Catholic Relief Services.

"The morgues are just overflowing with corpses and it is becoming a public health emergency," Amaya said. "They need to get the bodies out."

People inspect the damage after a mudslide in the mountain town of Regent, Sierra Leone August 14, 2017. REUTERS/ Ernest Henry

(Reporting by Christo Johnson; Additional reporting by Edward McAllister; Writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Tim Cocks and Janet Lawrence)

People inspect the damage after a mudslide in the mountain town of Regent, Sierra Leone August 14, 2017. REUTERS/ Ernest Henry

People inspect the damage on a beach after a mudslide on the outskirts of Freetown, Sierra Leone August 14, 2017, in this image obtained from social media. National Tourist Board of Sierra Leone/Mohamed Alieu Bah/Social Media via REUTERS

A man walks under umbrella in water covered street in Freetown, Sierra Leone August 14, 2017 in this picture obtained from social media. Instagram/dawncharris via REUTERS

Emergency workers are pictured at the central morgue at Connaught hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone August 15, 2017 REUTERS/Ernest Henry

People walk under rain along a street in Freetown, Sierra Leone August 14, 2017 in this picture obtained from social media. Instagram/dawncharris via REUTERS

People walk in rainy streets of Freetown, Sierra Leone August 14, 2017 in this picture obtained from social media. Instagram/dawncharris via REUTERS

Rescue workers and soldiers ride on an ambulance after a mudslide in the mountain town of Regent, Sierra Leone August 14, 2017. REUTERS/Ernest Henry

A man helps an injured woman after a mudslide in the mountain town of Regent, Sierra Leone August 14, 2017. REUTERS/Ernest Henry

Rescue workers open a road after a mudslide in the mountain town of Regent, Sierra Leone August 14, 2017. REUTERS/Ernest Henry

Residents stand as rescue workers search for survivors after a mudslide in the mountain town of Regent, Sierra Leone August 14, 2017. REUTERS/Ernest Henry

Police officers stand at the site after a mudslide in the mountain town of Regent, Sierra Leone August 14, 2017 in this still image taken from a video. REUTERS/Reuters TV

Residents stand as rescue workers search for survivors after a mudslide in the mountain town of Regent, Sierra Leone August 14, 2017. REUTERS/Ernest Henry