Some 40,000 people crammed into stadium

Residents of the east side of Freetown were particularly hard hit by the fighting as assailants stole virtually all their possessions and burned down their homes, WFP said. Many fled to the western and central parts of the capital and are now living in abandoned buildings or makeshift camps. Some 40,000 people are now estimated to be crammed into Freetown’s main stadium without food and medical facilities, WFP added. News agencies said yesterday that some markets in Freetown had reopened but high prices of basic goods were unaffordable for many people. Humanitarian sources said Connaught hospital was barely functional and there was a serious shortage of surgical supplies there. Meanwhile, volunteers today began burying an estimated 1,100 corpses that had been collected from the central districts of Freetown, the German news agency DPA said.

A UN inter-agency mission flew to Freetown today to assess the humanitarian situation in the city, WFP said.