They died following the heavy rainfall in the Village neighbourhood on July 31.

Three people died in a river around the Ndogpassi market in the Village neighbourhood on July 31. A little girl, a dumb truck pusher and his friend were swallowed by strong currents. Eyewitness accounts say the continuous rainfall in Douala that day caused the water level of the river to rise and water currents to be very violent.

The little girl was crossing the water with her younger sister when her slippers fell inside the water. On trying to follow the slippers, she slid and fell into the water whose force carried her away. Her cry for help and that of her younger sister could not be heard by people who were a little far off. Only a dumb truck pusher saw the incident.

On trying to help, he too fell into the river and the currents carried him away. The pusher’s friend also came to his rescue but was in turn carried away by the water. The corpse of the little girl was later recovered on August 1 and has been put in the mortuary.