More than 300 bodies recovered from Sierra Leone mudslide

Rescuers have recovered over 300 bodies following Monday's deadly mudslide on the outskirts of Sierra Leone's capital, in West Africa.

The Country’s Tourism Minister told local radio that 297 bodies have been brought to the overwhelmed city morgue, including those of 105 men, 83 women and 109 children.

A further seven bodies were found at the site this morning raising the death toll to 304 people.

According to government officials and aid agencies, around 600 people are still unaccounted for after heavy rains struck the Regent district in the early hours of Monday morning, causing torrents of mud to wash down Mount Sugar Loaf about five miles outside the capital Freetown.

Numbers are expected to rise as search and rescue efforts continue in one of the deadliest natural disasters to hit Africa in recent years.

A mass burial is planned for the next two days in an effort to free up space in the struggling mortuaries.