The town of Yagoua in the Far North region of Cameroon has been submerged, and its bridge destroyed following torrential rains since late August. "This morning, a bridge collapsed, splitting the town in two and making it even harder for not only schoolchildren but the entire population to move from one side to the other," said the department's prefect. According to government figures, 17 people have died and 60,777 households have been affected in this region bordering Chad and Nigeria, which have also experienced deadly floods. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES