Torrential rains unleashed a deadly landslide in Malabo, killing a mother and her six children, rescue services in Equatorial Guinea confirmed on Friday.
Authorities recovered the victims’ bodies from thick mud and debris, including the 36-year-old mother who was eight months pregnant when disaster struck.
Witnesses said relentless downpours battered the coastal city on Thursday afternoon, soaking unstable hillsides before a retaining wall suddenly collapsed onto the family home.
Neighbour Dominica Ada described how the concrete wall gave way without warning, triggering a powerful landslide that swallowed the fragile wooden structure within moments.
She said the mother and all six children were inside the house, unaware of the danger as rain hammered rooftops across the neighbourhood.
The father survived after leaving shortly before the collapse, escaping what officials described as one of the area’s most heartbreaking weather-related tragedies.
Local reports indicated the house lacked proper foundations and had been reinforced with cinder blocks, exposing vulnerabilities common in rapidly expanding urban districts.
Public Works Minister Clemente Ferreiro Villarino told state radio that heavy rainfall and steep terrain slowed rescue efforts, complicating searches through unstable ground and debris.
Government representatives and the archbishop of Malabo travelled to the site, offering condolences while rescue teams continued operations under difficult and emotional conditions.
Officials and urban planners have long warned that unregulated development and weak construction standards increase risks in hillside communities vulnerable to extreme weather events.
The tragedy has renewed scrutiny of building practices in Malabo, where rapid urban growth often outpaces safety oversight, leaving families exposed to preventable disasters.