Building collapse in Cameroon’s largest city claims over 30 lives, rescue operations continue

The death toll from a building collapse in Cameroon has more than doubled as rescue teams continue searching for survivors, authorities said Monday.

At least 33 people died in a four-story building that collapsed onto a smaller one in Cameroon’s largest city of Douala early Sunday morning, said Celestine Ketcha Courtes, the housing and urban development minister.

Courtes said that more bodies were recovered from the rubble by rescue teams Monday morning and that some died in hospital from injuries. Five out of more than 20 people injured are in critical condition, she added.

The building collapsed in the Ndogbon neighborhood and was severely dilapidated, said Lt. Col. Abdel Kadrey, a fire department commander. “Occupants of neighboring houses told us that there were so many cracks on the walls of the building before it collapsed,” he said.

Authorities say more than 200 people occupy both impacted buildings. It was unclear how many were home at the time of the collapse.

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Rescue operations are still ongoing.

Cameroon’s President Paul Biya has asked the housing ministry to appraise the damage.

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.