By: Fayia Jr. Moseray
A tragic incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday, July 5, 2025, at Gbedenbu Community in the Western Area Rural District, where a collapsed fence claimed the lives of three family members and caused the destruction of properties worth millions of old Sierra Leonean Leones.
According to sources, the fence, owned by a private Sierra Leonean businessman named Mohamed Kallon (not Coach Mohamed Kallon), suddenly collapsed onto a residential “pan body” structure belonging to the Sawanneh family.
The deceased, Sallia Sawanneh, a 45-year-old man and owner of the destroyed house, lost his wife Fatmata and their one-year-old daughter in the incident.
An eyewitness at the scene, who gave his name as James (not his real name), told this reporter that the collapse was primarily due to the poor condition of the fence. Although the heavy downpour of rain significantly contributed to the collapse, the fence had long required renovation, which was never carried out.
The rainstorm began late on Friday, July 4, 2025, and continued into the early hours of Saturday, July 5, 2025. The Sawanneh family’s house was built directly beneath the fence, which is why the family members were unable to escape the tragedy.
When asked if the family had received any warnings from authorities about the dangers of living so close to the unstable fence, James said he could not confirm this. However, he revealed that many residents had expressed concerns about the location of the house before the incident, but no measures were taken to prevent the disaster.
“My brother, we often discussed the risks of constructing a makeshift pan-body house so close to the weakened fence not just among family members but also with others in the community. Unfortunately, these warnings came too late, and now three family members have lost their lives while two others remain seriously injured. I pray the injured recover,” said Mabinty, a petty trader in the community.
Mabinty added that two other family members, Haja and Maseray Sawanneh, were also involved in the incident but survived, likely because their home is situated at some distance from the collapsed fence.
The two injured family members were rushed to a medical facility for treatment.
Following the tragedy, the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) patrol team visited the scene, collected the bodies of the deceased, and took charge for proper funeral arrangements.
The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) also visited the site to assess the cause of the collapse and provide further information about the incident, which was exacerbated by the heavy rains marking the start of the rainy season.
The NDMA has issued a stern warning to residents of Gbedenbu and other disaster-prone communities across the country to learn from this tragic event and take precautionary measures to prevent similar occurrences during the rainy season.