YAOUNDE, Oct 9 (Reuters) – A wave of water released by a burst dam killed at least 23 people in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde after heavy rains, the emergency unit said on Monday. ‘army.
A colonial-era dam burst around 4 p.m. (1500 GMT) local time on Sunday, releasing water from a small lake, said Assola Joseph, a local leader in the Mbankolo district.
Residents and rescuers searched through the rubble Monday morning, searching under broken wood, uprooted banana trees and corrugated iron sheets on the side of a steep hill.
A Reuters journalist at the scene said at least five bodies had been found and more than 30 homes destroyed.
(Reporting Amindeh Blaise Atabong; French version Nathan Vifflin, edited by Blandine Hénault)
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