Cameroon: At least 40 persons dead from three road accidents in two days

At least 40 people were killed and dozens injured in Cameroon on Wednesday and Thursday in three road accidents involving travel buses, the Ministry of Transport has announced. The deadliest accident occurred Thursday morning in Batchenga, 60km north of the capital Yaoundé, and killed 22 people in a collision between a travel bus and a truck carrying sand, Transport Minister Jean Ernest Masséna Ngalle Bibehe wrote in a statement.

On Wednesday night, another accident killed 16 people and injured several others about 50 km east of Yaoundé, after another bus collided with a semi-trailer truck.

Finally, a third accident left two people dead and 28 injured in the center of the country.

"These unfortunate incidents, which occurred in the midst of a special campaign of prevention and road safety (...) highlight the negligence of both intercity transport companies and freight carriers," said the Minister.

"The Minister of Transport informs the transport companies of people and goods, it will proceed from now on to their suspension of any transport activity in case of new involvement in a road accident," he also wrote.

Road accidents involving passenger buses are relatively frequent and deadly in Cameroon. In late January, at least 53 people were killed in a collision between a bus and a van carrying fuel in the west. In late December, at least 37 people, including ten women and four children, died in another accident.