9th November, 2024
By Oluwapelumi Oluwayemi
The death toll from a devastating rain-triggered landslide in Cameroon’s West Region has risen to 11, local authorities confirmed on Friday evening.
Governor Augustine Fonka Awa of the West Region reported that seven additional bodies were recovered that day, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths to 11.
The recovery operation, which includes the removal of heavy road equipment from the debris, is ongoing.
According to the governor, the bodies recovered were in an advanced state of decomposition.
The landslide occurred earlier this week on Tuesday, when three passenger buses, road equipment, and several workers were buried by a massive landslide on a steep hill in La Falaise, near Dschang Town.
Four bodies were initially discovered after the tragedy, but more than 50 people are feared to still be trapped beneath the rubble.
Emmeline Wakam, a local resident, shared a heartbreaking account, saying, “They have recovered the body of my mother.
We are still waiting for that of my grandmother and brother who are still in the rubble,” in a phone interview with Xinhua.
Wakam has been anxiously waiting for news of her family members for the past five days.
Recent torrential rains have caused widespread flooding and landslides across the Central African nation. The landslide struck a critical road linking Douala, the commercial hub of Cameroon, to the West Region.
