Tragedy struck this morning on the Douala-Yaoundé heavy traffic axis near Pouma. A violent road accident claimed the lives of two individuals, a woman and a man, who were travelling in a RAV4 with licence plate LT 909 EK.
According to gathered testimonies, the incident occurred around 7 am. “I heard a loud noise and rushed over. I saw the car completely mangled, and the two occupants were already dead,” recounts a shocked bystander. It is alleged that there is an ongoing gendarmerie investigation, which will have to confirm the exact causes of the accident, but speed and the narrow nature of the road appear to be suspected factors.
“It’s truly sad,” laments a motorist who regularly uses this stretch. “Something needs to be done to reduce accidents on this road. We hear about it far too often.” His sentiments align with those of the Association for the Defence of Motorists’ Rights, which, in the face of this new fatal accident, calls for “urgent measures to improve road safety in Cameroon.”
Meanwhile, the relatives of the victims are trying to cope with this sudden tragedy. The government of Cameroon has not reacted to this accident, as has been the case with the numerous accidents happening along the different highways of the country.
But beyond condolences, this accident rekindles the debate on road safety in Cameroon. Testimonies gathered on-site illustrate the fear and sadness felt by the populace in the face of the increasing number of accidents on the country’s roads. It is now up to the authorities and road users to find solutions to prevent such tragedies from recurring.
