A nine-year-old girl is missing, and two boys are hospitalised after fast-moving floodwaters swept them away. On October 1, 2024, a sudden flood, triggered by heavy upstream rainfall, swept away children aged between nine and fourteen as they swam under a bridge along the new road from Welcome to Bamenda through Bamendakwe in the Bamenda 1 subdivision.
As the current dragged them downstream towards the Mbatu Dam, the two boys were able to grab onto trees, but the girl has yet to be found.
Local volunteers, along with members of the 50th Army Rescue Group, have been mobilised in the search for the missing girl. The initial six-member army rescue team that arrived on the scene has since been reinforced to intensify the efforts.
Flooding is a frequent problem in certain areas of Bamenda. In a recent report, the National Observatory on Climate Change warned that Bamenda, like many other towns in the country, is highly susceptible to floods due to expected heavy rainfall.
Poor urban planning and inadequate drainage systems exacerbate the city’s flood problems.
This is not the first time this year that floods have claimed young lives in Bamenda. In September, a nine-month-old baby was swept away by runoff water after heavy rains in the Sisia 4 neighbourhood of the Bamenda III subdivision. The 9-month old baby remains missing.
As of the time of this report, the young girl remains missing, and both the army and local volunteers continue to intensify their search efforts.
