Yaounde: 27 die as damn collapse provokes landslide.

The landslide killed at least 30 persons and injured over 20 others, among them a three-week-old child. 

According to the traditional ruler of Mbankolo, Assola Joseph, the dam, known as Nkol Tam Lac, overflew its banks, sweeping everything along its part, resulting in deaths on the steep hillside.

Assola said the dam, which is over 100 years old, was constructed during the German era. He added that the dam had shown signs of depreciation over the years before eventually collapsing Sunday evening.

The corpses of some of those who died were immediately recovered Sunday night while others were cleared yesterday. 

The search for others were still in progress even after authorities, among them members of government, had visited the scene.

More feared buried in rubble

As at the time we left the scene yesterday, rescue workers were still racing to spot survivors and recover other copses. More people are feared buried in the rubble. Many fear the dead toll could rise as at today.

An official of the Firefighting Brigade, Petatoa Poufong, told reporters that: "We are mastering the situation. We were called at 7:53p.m. yesterday (Sunday). We deployed all our men in three sectors. Yesterday, we extracted 15 corpses and this morning, we extracted eight more corpses. We are continuing the search”.

Poufong, however, stated that the figures were not exact in relation to what they had seen at the incident site.

Rescue team struggling to retrieve corpses from debris 

Families inconsolable 

Relatives who lost loved ones in the tragedy were inconsolable as the search operation progressed. Others could not withstand seeing the corpses of their loved ones being ferried to the mortuary.

Gov’t consoles, succors victims

The Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, and the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Celestine Ketcha Courtes, visited the scene of the deadly flood yesterday.

The two members of government, who assessed the level of damage, also consoled victims.

Atanga Nji conveyed a condolence message from the Head of State, President Paul Biya and the First Lady, Chantal Biya, to the affected families.

Minister Atanga Nji said the Department of Civil Protection in the Ministry of Territorial Administration, will supervise the distribution of relief items to victims of the landslide.

“We are here under the esteem instructions of the President of the Republic, H.E President Paul Biya, who knows exactly what is happening. After the heavy rains in Yaounde yesterday, we realised that there was a very difficult situation in Mbankolo,” Atanga Nji said, before disclosing that 27 persons had been confirmed dead.

Minister Atanga Nji added that:  “It is a very sad situation. We are here to express the heartfelt condolences of His Excellency, the President of the Republic and his wife, to the bereaved families”.

"Avoid risky zones to safe your lives"

Minister Atanga Nji ceased the occasion to educate the population on the need to avoid constructing in risky areas. He said this will prevent people from putting their lives at risk.

“We have to sensitise the population that it is not good to construct in all these swampy areas...the laws of the Republic should have prevented construction in this place. When you are in an area, it is better to abide by the rules and regulations,” Minister Atanga Nji said. 

The minister also saluted the bravery of rescue officers who braved the odds to assist the victims.

Ministers Ketcha Courtes & Atanga Nji comforting injured seven-month-old survivor 

Urban dev’t minister decries negligence 

For her part, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Celestine Ketcha Courtes, decried the attitude of people ignoring warnings from authorities about constructing in risky zones.

She said, after notification from the National Observatory on Climate Chang, NOCC, instructions had been given for people to leave areas prone to floods.

Minister Ketcha Courters however, urged “local authorities, the population as well as the civil society to follow the instructions,” insisting that the Mbankolo tragedy is a product of people refusing to leave risky areas.

Kids birthday party ends in tears

One of the heartbreaking stories from the incident was that of a family that celebrated the birthday of kids but perished at night when the tragedy hit Mbankolo.

Parents, celebrants and kids who constituted a greater majority of invitees are said to have all perished.

According to eyewitness accounts, “due to the downpour, the kids, who were in good numbers, were unable to return to their homes. They were later carried away by the water rain”.

Survivors recount ordeal

One of the victims who miraculously survived, Yumele Guy, said the day was going on like any but within a split of seconds, light went out and before people could know what was happening, water came sweeping everything on the hillside.

Yumele said he later rushed in to notify his wife but it was almost too late. He disclosed that the kids he saved were those of his sister and tenants. He said they were aged between 5-15 years. The child who failed to make it, he said, was aged six.

“After power cuts, I don’t know exactly what brought me out when I saw water coming. I rushed in to wake up my wife on the bed. Before I could enter, water was already carrying her away. I was able to save her. I also saved four other kids. But there was a fifth child who was unfortunate as the water washed off the child from my hands,” Yumele narrated.

He also stated that: “There are several bodies that were found at the end of the road after Golf [a neighbourhood close to Mbankolo]. The mother of the child was informed that there was also a child among the corpses”.

Another eyewitness, Fanyuy Believer, who is the neighbour to several victims, said: “I heard my neighbours screaming. It was difficult to imagine what was happening. As they were shouting, I rushed out and met them already at the door crying. When I turned to see what was happening, I saw water flowing. It carried away matrasses, beds”.

Fanyuy, who is an Internally Displaced Person, IDP, of the Anglophone crisis from Tombel, in the South West Region, said she is still thinking of where to relocate to, after the sad incident,

Victims cry out for help

Many of the victims who survived Sunday’s tragedy, have begged authorities and persons of goodwill to come to their aide.

Some of them said, though they were not around when the floods occurred, they have lost everything.

One of them, whose only name The Guardian Post got as Jean Luc, said he did not even have a place to sleep the night the incident happened.

“All we have laboured for is lost. My family and I have been here for a year. We have been struggling to make ends meet. Now, things are even more difficult. How do we feed, where do we go to?” Luc lamented.

Hoodlums make gains from disaster

In the meantime, some hoodlums have since stormed the scene of the tragedy in search of valuables like money, jewels and other important household utensils to retail for cash.

They are said to have also taken away corrugated sheets to sell. This reporter even witnessed a fight between one of such hoodlums and his mates, over the sharing over money from their loot.