The hunt for survivors of a devastating mudslide on the outskirts of Sierra Leone’s capital has continued, with 270 bodies recovered so far, according to the mayor of Freetown. A mass burial will be held later today to free up space in the city’s central morgue, which has been overwhelmed with bodies. A national emergency has been called after the city suffered heavy flooding, thought to be the worst in Africa over the past two decades. The country’s interior minister, Paolo Conteh, warned that thousands of people were still missing.At least a hundred houses were hit when a hillside in Regent, a mountainous town 15 miles east of Freetown, collapsed in the early hours of Monday morning. Some buildings were completely submerged.Red Cross representative Foray K Marah said on Monday evening that scores of bodies had been recovered but that there is no way to identify them. “The central hospital is completely overwhelmed so we’ve begun sending them to other hospitals as well. The other big problem is that many people have been left homeless and need shelter, clothing, blankets. We’re trying to do what we can. We’ll see how things continue to play out over the day. For now we’re helping to collect the dead.”(Telegraaf)…[+]