Landslide leaves several stranded

Landslide as a result of torrential downpour has obstructed normal traffic along the Monrovia-Kakata highway, leaving drivers and passengers stranded. The incident, which occurred less than a kilometer away from Kingsville community in No.7, lasted up to Tuesday evening.

In an interview with this paper Tuesday around 15 Gate, private and commercial drivers narrated that the landslide completely blocked the new highway constructed by the Chinese International Construction Company or CICO, leaving no space for traffic.

The hill, which broke lose is widely called Gboyo Hill, which hosts a tower of GSM company, Lonestar Communications Corporation. Several vehicles were stuck in the mud, while others were parked along the road, waiting for CICO to clear the heavy pile of dirt in order to allow free movement.

Passengers traveling from rural Liberia were transferred into vehicles from Monrovia, while those traveling from Monrovia were similarly constrained to disembark and board commercial cars on the other side to continue their journey into up country.

One of the drivers, who could not cross to the other side of the tarmac, told reporter at the scene of the landslide that the disaster occurred at about 8pm Monday night. Morris Jabateh, a truck driver, who was on his way from Gbartala in Bong County, said he arrived to the area around 8:30p.m and noticed that the hill has fallen, adding that he immediately packed his car.

He lamented that the disaster has brought a setback to him as he sleeps in his car and could not reach Monrovia in time. Jabateh indicated that he was informed that the landslide happened right after a vehicle passed the area.

He blamed the situation on the heavy downpour, which according to him, undermined the hill. Meanwhile, Jabateh has called on the government and the management of CICO-Liberia to intervene in order to avoid a recurrence of such experience.

By Ramsey N. Singbeh, Jr. from Margibi – Edited by Jonathan Browne