Hundreds of people might have died in a mudslide in Sierra Leone's capital Freetown, according to local reports. Heavy rains caused a hillside to collapse in the Regent and Mortema areas on 14 August.

There is no official death toll at the moment. However, the country's vice-President Victor Foh was quoted as saying that "hundreds probably died".

"It is likely that hundreds are lying dead underneath the rubble," Foh told news agency Reuters. "The disaster is so serious that I myself feel broken. We're trying to cordon [off] the area [and] evacuate the people."

He added that some illegal buildings had been constructed in the area.

More than 200 unidentified corpses, of which 60 are children, are reported to have been taken to the Connaught Hospital mortuary, local news site Sierra Leone Telegraph reported.

The Red Cross told news agency AFP the death toll had risen to 312.

Morgue technician Mohamed Sinneh, said "at least" 180 bodies had been received at the Freetown's Connaught Hospital.

Hundreds of people are also feared trapped underneath mud. Emergency services are at the scene.

"Today in Freetown, the downpour is inexplicably scary. People are dying, vehicles sinking, houses crumbling down leaving everyone panic-striken. Urgent measures need to be taken," the country's Society For Climate Change Communication said in a post on Facebook.

The organisation also posted pictures of the aftermath of the incident.

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