Death toll in Cameroon building collapse rises

The number of people confirmed to have died when a four-story building collapsed in Cameroon’s economic capital of Douala on Sunday has risen to 34, according to local authorities. More than 50 others have been confirmed injured and are receiving medical treatment, including five who are in a critical condition.

The apartment building, which officials estimated housed about 160 people, fell onto a smaller residential block with 60 inhabitants.

Reports on Tuesday cited the country’s minister of housing and urban development, Celestine Ketcha Courtes, as saying that the structure had been built without a permit.

Courtes, who visited the scene on Monday, told reporters that an investigation has been launched and that rescue efforts will continue to ensure that no one remains trapped beneath the wreckage.

Since the collapse, Cameroonian President Paul Biya has ordered the demolition of poorly constructed, illegal houses in the port city of Douala.

Distressed residents have been waiting for the rescue of relatives who are believed to be buried under the rubble.

One local told RT his sister was inside the building when it caved in, but she has yet to be found.

“It’s too hard for me because I lost my big brother, his wife, and his child,” another resident told RT.

Emergency workers are reportedly still digging through the debris in the hope of finding survivors.