By Josiane Kouagheu, DOUALA Cameroon
A landslide caused by heavy rains in western
Cameroon killed at least 42 people overnight, state media reported on Tuesday.
Rescue
teams spent the day scouring the rubble of destroyed houses in the town of
Bafoussam in the western highlands. Among the bodies recovered were those of 26
children, Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV) reported.
The
search will resume on Wednesday for additional bodies believed to remain under
the rubble, CRTV reported.
“Around
10 p.m. I heard a noise,” said Albert Kenge, who survived the landslide. “I saw
a big cloud of dust and when it dissipated, I saw that the mountain had
collapsed.”
Heavy
rains have continued beyond the end of Central Africa’s rainy season, causing
severe flooding which has displaced nearly 30,000 people in Cameroon’s
neighbor, the Central African Republic.
The
United Nations children’s agency UNICEF said last week that exceptionally heavy
rain in South Sudan had destroyed health centers and roads, making access to
food and water more difficult for nearly 1 million people.
No comments:
Post a Comment