Yaounde: Rescuers pulled out three more bodies later Monday after landslides in Cameroon’s capital of Yaounde buried homes and buildings Sunday, bringing the death toll of the disaster to 30, officials said.
National Fire Fighting Brigade in charge of the rescue efforts said that rescue operations were still underway at the disaster site where dozens more are feared trapped under the rubble, Xinhua news agency reported.
The landslides occurred at 8 p.m., local time, Sunday in the hilly neighbourhood of Mbankolo in Yaounde after a persistent downpour.
It is estimated that 25 houses were swept away by the floods.
The country’s Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji visited the disaster site earlier Monday and said some of those rescued in the tragedy were receiving treatment in the hospital.
“The government extends condolences to the bereaved families,” Nji told reporters.
Yaounde is one of the wettest cities in Africa, with dozens of steep hills. Heavy rains have triggered several devastating floods throughout the country this year. In November last year, 14 people attending a funeral in Yaounde were killed in a landslide.
(IANS)
