Three men and a young girl died in the Sierra Leone capital, Freetown, after torrential rains on Sunday dislodged a huge boulder which then crashed into a house, doctors said.

The young girl was identified as a primary school student who a day earlier had taken the national primary school examination to gain entrance into secondary school later in the year.

A nurse at the Connaught Hospital, where the victims were taken and who wished to remain anonymous, said one male victim was in intensive care and his condition was life threatening.

One resident in the Gray Bush area of Freetown, where the incident took place, said city council officials had repeatedly warned occupants to leave the building but these warnings had been ignored.

Ismail Dumbuya, chairman of the Local Association of Motor Bike Riders, told AFP that plans were drawn up to remove the threatening boulder just a few days ago.

Widespread damage to houses and roads clogged up by debris from overflowing streams and gutters was reported in the east and west of Freetown following the first downpour which heralds the start of the rainy season.