At least 23 people have died in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, due to a tragic landslide brought on by torrential rainfall.
The incident happened on Sunday night in Yaoundé’s Mbankolo neighborhood.
A dam that was holding back an artificial lake located on higher terrain had collapsed as a result of the excessive rain that caused the landslip.
About 30 homes were destroyed in the subsequent surge of water and dirt that swept away everything in its path.
The second-in-command of the fire department, David Petatoa Poufong, told reporters at the scene, “Yesterday we pulled out 15 people who had died, and this morning we have found eight.”
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Floods hindered rescue attempts, forcing people to use their bare hands to dig bodies out of the rubble.
In Yaoundé, where homes are occasionally perilously constructed on the city’s several hills, land slides occur frequently during the rainy season.
In Yaoundé’s working-class neighborhood of Damas, on the city’s eastern outskirts, a landslide enveloped members of a funeral party in November of last year, resulting in at least 15 fatalities.
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When 12 flimsy homes erected on the slope of a hill were destroyed by a landslide brought on by heavy rains in the western city of Bafoussam in 2019, 43 people were killed.
The incident has highlighted the region’s need for improved urban planning and disaster management.
The city prepares itself for the risk of additional rain and dangerous landslides as rescue attempts continue and families mourn the loss of their loved ones.