YAOUNDE, July 23 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 people were killed, and 19 others were wounded after a four-story building collapsed in Cameroon's commercial hub of Douala early Sunday, according to Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, governor of Littoral Region.
Children and women were among the victims, Diboua said, adding that rescue workers were still searching for missing people under the rubble.
"The military, firefighting brigade, police and all security forces are involved in the rescue mission. The casualty figures may be higher," Diboua told reporters as he visited the scene of the tragedy, saying the cause of the collapse was not immediately clear.
There are frequent building collapses in the city, often caused by flooding, non-compliance with building planning and regulations, and the use of substandard materials during construction, according to local experts.
