Sierra Leone mudslides death toll now above 400, UN says

Volunteers bury coffins during a mass funeral for victims of heavy flooding and mudslides in Regent at a cemetery in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. The government has begun burying the hundreds of people killed earlier this week in mudslides in Sierra Leone's capital, and it warned Thursday of new danger from a large crack that has opened on a mountainside where residents were told to evacuate. (AP Photo/Manika Kamara)

By Associated Press August 18, 2017 1 min read

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) – The United Nations says the death toll from Sierra Leone’s mudslides is now above 400.

The U.N. humanitarian agency says 409 bodies have been found after flooding and mudslides in the West African nation’s capital of Freetown on Monday morning.

Burials have begun as an estimated 600 people remain missing.

People continue to search through tons of mud and debris amid the threat of further mudslides.

The government has warned residents to evacuate a mountainside where a large crack has opened.