Cameroon: Yaoundé landslide death toll rises
The victims were in a tent to attend a tribute ceremony when a section of the hill collapsed, Sunday November 27, 2022. REUTERS - STRINGER
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
According to the Yaoundé authorities, at least fourteen people died in the landslide on Sunday of a hill in the Damas district, located in the southern part of the Cameroonian capital, while attending a funeral ceremony.
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Interview in Yaoundé by
Maryamou Moumini
,
story,
Amélie Tulet
The Ngo'o Ndé association of the Damas roundabout, representing the communities of the Ndé department, in the West region, organized a ceremony on Sunday afternoon in honor of several of its members who died this year.
Near an unconsolidated embankment, a tent had been installed to shelter the guests when a piece of ground collapsed, it was carried away.
“
Suddenly, we hear screams
”
"
As soon as the ceremony begins, I don't know what happened
, says this survivor...
My little brother saw the landslide, when he saw that the earth was falling, he told me thrown outside.
“
Suddenly, we hear cries, there is a collapse of ground,
testifies another survivor.
In the tent where we were sitting, we find ourselves swallowed up by the earth.
This is where they manage to pull me out.
Everyone around us died.
»
Fourteen deaths were confirmed Monday evening by the authorities.
“
On the spot, we counted ten bodies,
details the governor of the Center region, Naseri Paul Béa.
But before our arrival, there were four bodies already evacuated and there are also more than ten serious cases which are scattered in the hospitals.
»
A closed school and church
The landslide site is a dangerous area, according to the governor, who believes that people should think about leaving the area.
The authorities claim to have delimited a security perimeter and closed a school and a church located near the risk zone.
The Minister of Housing, Célestine Ketcha Courtes, went there on Sunday evening.
Welcoming the work of the firefighters and local residents who came to assist the victims, she sent her condolences to the bereaved families.
►Also read
: Cameroon: at least 11 dead after a landslide in Yaoundé
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