At least 12 people were killed and 21 injured, five seriously, when a building collapsed in Cameroon's business hub Douala, firefighters and local authorities said.
The four-storey building collapsed onto a smaller one early Sunday morning, the authorities said.
“The casualty figures may be higher. Rescue workers, assisted by Cameroon government troops, are still digging the wreckage to see if more bodies can be recovered,” said Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, governor of Cameroon’s Littoral region.
The military’s fire brigade has been ordered to join the country’s Red Cross and other rescue services in searching for survivors trapped under the rubble.
Residents in shock
Residents living in the Ndogbon neighborhood where the incident took place said they are in shock.
“We heard people screaming … and struggled to help some out of the wreckage, but could not do it wit h our spades and (garden) hoes,” said Gaspard Ndoppo, who lives near the collapsed buildings.
Building collapses happen often in Douala, sometimes due to natural disasters such as landslides and other times because of poor construction, locals say.
Douala’s city council is currently demolishing houses in high-risk zones susceptible to floods or landslides.
The building that collapsed on Sunday was not marked for demolition.
