A wave of water released by a shattered dam has killed about 28 people in Cameroon’s capital city, Yaounde after a torrential heavy rain.
The death toll is expected to keep increasing according to officials earlier today, Monday, October 9.
A dam which had been constructed during the colonial-era collapsed at about 4 p.m. (15:00 GMT) on Sunday, letting loose floods of water from a small lake down the steep hillside of the Mbankolo neighbourhood, according to a report by local leader Assola Joseph.
The deluge had carried away a large chunk of hillside, damaging homes and burying the area in debris and mud. Residents and rescue workers were seen today, picking through the mess of rubble, broken timber, uprooted banana trees and corrugated metal.
The search is on but we can say the situation is under control,” communications minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi said at the site.
The communications Minister, Rene Emmanuel Sadi had said that twenty-eight people had died so far in the aftermath of the incident and that over 20 people had been injured.
Some of the deceased included the kids who were attending a birthday party.
While inspecting the site of the incident, Territorial Administration Minister, Paul Atanga Nji had said that the buildings in the area had been built in a high-risk zone and had warned that the death toll would likely increasing.
