Heavy rains triggered a landslide at a steep hill at La Falaise locality in Dschang town of the region, blocking road access, Xinhua news agency reported.

The authorities deployed excavators to reopen the closed roads, but a subsequent landslide buried emergency workers and vehicles that were waiting for the road to be cleared, Awa told reporters on Tuesday evening.

"Three passenger buses, motorcycles and vehicles that were working on the site were buried in the debris. At the moment three corpses have been extracted. Rescue workers are still searching for missing people in the rubble," Awa said.

The highway which links the commercial hub of Douala to the West region is temporarily closed.