国际英语新闻:"Deaths and devastation" in Sierra Leone mudslide saddens UN chief

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was "saddened" on Monday by the mudslide and flooding in and near Freetown, Sierra Leone, where officials say at least 300 people have died and at least 2,000 people left homeless.

"The Secretary-General is saddened by the deaths and devastation caused by the mudslide and flooding in the town of Regent, Sierra Leone, and throughout Freetown," the capital, said Farhan Haq, Guterres' deputy spokesman. "The Secretary-General extends his condolences to the people and Government of Sierra Leone for the loss of life and destruction caused by this natural disaster."

The spokesman added, "The Secretary-General reiterates to the government and people of Sierra Leone the full solidarity of the United Nations with the ongoing rescue efforts."

The side of a hill gave way in heavy rains in the early hours of Monday and trapped hundreds of people in the town of Regent, just outside Freetown, according to published reports.