This Friday 08 November 2024, we provide an update on the progress of excavation operations at the Dschang cliff. On Tuesday 05 November 2024, at around 10am, a land slide occurred on an embankment in the middle of the cliff, disrupting traffic and completely blocking the road.
The administrative and municipal authorities, including the Lord Mayor of the Dschang Council, Mr Jacquis Gabriel KEMLEU TCHABGOU, quickly went to the scene to assess the situation. Lord Mayor KEMLEU immediately mobilised the Council’s machinery to clear the road quickly, pending a more robust intervention by the Ministry of Public Works (MINTP), which urgently dispatched two excavators to speed up the clearing work and restore traffic flow.
However, a few hours later, while work was in progress, a second landslide occurred upstream of the same site, burying two of the machines as well as some vehicles and people in the vicinity. Faced with this new crisis, the administrative and municipal authorities, including Lord Mayor Kemleu, returned to the site.
Operations to extract the bodies, which began on 06 November 2024, are continuing actively. To date, 11 bodies have been extracted. A team made up of technicians from the Ministry of Public Works and the Dschang town council has been working for the past two days to identify a route for building a bypass around the cliff, linking Dschang to Santchou and vice versa, under the coordination of the Lord Mayor and the Regional and Divisional Delegates for Public Works in the West.
The Lord Mayor of the Dschang Council, Mr Jacquis Gabriel Kemleu Tchabgou, was on the ground again today, accompanied by the administrative authorities, both divisional and regional, to supervise the ongoing efforts and support the teams working tirelessly.
We offer our deepest condolences and comfort to the families who have suffered so much as a result of this tragedy. Rest assured of our unwavering support at this difficult time.
We will keep you informed of any new developments relating to this natural disaster as they occur.
