At least four people have died and over 50 are missing in western Cameroon after three passenger buses and several road workers were caught in a landslide, authorities reported on Wednesday, November 6.
Torrential rains weakened the soil, triggering the landslide on Tuesday along a highway connecting Dschang in Cameroon’s West Region to the economic capital, Douala.
Cameroon’s Minister of Public Works, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, confirmed that only four bodies had been recovered from the rubble, with many others still buried in the debris.
“I’ve instructed that the bodies be taken to the mortuary and survivors receive immediate care,” said Djoumessi.
This tragedy follows widespread flooding across West Africa, including neighboring Nigeria, where heavy rains have killed over 1,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands this year.
Governor of the West Region, Augustin Awa Fonka, noted that landslides have become more frequent in Cameroon, attributing the increasing frequency of such disasters to climate change and the deteriorating state of local infrastructure.