At least 30 people have been killed in landslides caused by heavy rains in Cameroon’s capital Yaoundé, the emergency services have said.
A local radio station put the death toll at 40, saying that many people are still missing.
Rescue efforts were hampered by floods, forcing locals to pull bodies out of the debris with their bare hands.
Heavy rainfall caused the Mefou River to burst its banks on Sunday, submerging several neighbourhoods.
The impoverished neighbourhood of Mbankolo was worst affected, with some homes, built on slopes, collapsing and banana trees being uprooted.
Local resident Ymele Guy told the BBC his child was killed by the landslide.
“I saw the disaster and just when I was informing my wife that things were bad, in a fraction of a second, my children and I were being submerged,” he said.
“I saved my wife and at least three children. The rain took along the fourth… the rain snatched that child away.”
Jouego Cathérine said her pregnant sister remained buried under the debris.
“I’ve still not found my sister. She got married in April. Together with her in-laws, all seven died here. Five corpses have already been recovered, it’s remaining two — my sister and a young girl.”
About 25 houses were reportedly swept away by the raging floods.
Residents should evacuate the area “because the soil is unstable”, Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji told the BBC.
“We are organising rescue efforts, mattresses, blankets and all that,” he said, adding that a three-month-old baby was among those who had been rescued.
The disaster comes almost a year after a previous landslide in Yaoundé claimed at least 14 lives.
On Saturday, authorities in neighbouring Nigeria warned residents to expect floods in nine states as Cameroon began releasing water from its Lagdo Dam.
It is expected to do this until the end of this month, Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) said, adding that Cameroon’s dam was expected to spill water until the end of October.
Cameroon says the release of water is necessary due to heavy rains in the country’s north.
The release would be kept to a minimum, officials added.
Last year, the release of water from the dam caused flooding and fatalities in Nigeria, especially in Benue state, on the border with Cameroon.
Abhinav Thawait is a globe-trotting correspondent with a passion for international affairs. With a background in international relations, he offers a global perspective on the most pressing issues around the world. Abhinav’s curiosity takes his to the far corners of the earth, where he seeks to share untold stories and diverse viewpoints.
