Building collapse in Cameroon kills at least 16 people; authorities fear the death toll may rise

Authorities say at least 16 people were killed and almost 30 were injured after a four-story building collapsed onto a smaller one in Cameroon’s largest city on Sunday.

“The casualty figures may be higher,” said Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, governor of Cameroon’s Littoral region, which includes Douala. The city is located west of Yaounde, the capital city.

The governor stated that “rescue workers, assisted by Cameroonian government troops, are still digging the wreckage to see if more bodies can be recovered.”

The military’s fire department has been asked to assist the Red Cross and other rescue organisations in the search for survivors.

Residents in the Ndogbon neighbourhood, where the incident occurred, expressed disbelief.

“We heard screaming… and struggled to rescue some out of the ruins, but couldn’t accomplish it with our shovels and (garden) hoes,” said Gaspard Ndoppo, who lives near the collapsed buildings.

Locals report that building collapses occur frequently in Douala, sometimes due to natural calamities such as landslides and other times due to bad construction.

Douala’s city council is currently demolishing dwellings in high-risk areas prone to flooding and landslides. The structure that collapsed on Sunday had not been designated for demolition.