CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — A mountainous heap of refuse collapsed at the largest landfill in Guinea 's capital Conakry early Sunday killing at least 22 people, according to a provisional toll by the country's civil protection service.

Heavy rains, which started at around 3 a.m. washed over the refuse at Dar Es Salam, triggering a landslide that buried nearby shacks. A search and rescue operation was underway to find survivors.

The site had been designated for closure on Sunday, according to Lt. Col. Baldé Mamadou Bailo, the sanitation officer for the military engineering battalion.

Locals living around the landfill had been given eviction notices, which forced many to vacate the area, but many were still around at the time of the disaster, according to authorities.

"We will ensure that the remaining families are relocated elsewhere,” said Dienabou Touré, the minister of territorial administration and decentralization, at the scene.