Fatal Accident Claims Five Lives in Mbanga

At least five people have died in a fatal accident along the Douala-Bafoussam road in the Moungo Division, Littoral Region of Cameroon.

The accident occurred precisely after the Mbanga toll on Thursday, August 10, 2023.

“We arrived at the scene to realise that the public transportation bus had crashed,” stated an eyewitness.

According to our source, at least five people died on the spot, while “several others sustained severe injuries”.

The deceased have been taken to the mortuary pending identification by their various family members.

People at the scene of the accident promptly transported the individuals with severe injuries to a nearby medical facility to provide them with the necessary medical care and attention.

Continuing a string of unfortunate events, this is yet another accident that has struck Cameroon, adding to the growing list of tragedies that have unfolded in the country over the past few days. Numerous lives have been lost as a result of these incidents, leaving the nation in a state of mourning and disbelief at the lack of action from the authorities.

According to official figures, Cameroon records an average of 16,583 road accidents each year, which kill more than 1,000 people. The World Health Organisation estimates the number to be over 6,000.

Therefore, Cameroon urgently needs to redouble its efforts to improve the road safety situation. Cameroon’s Road Safety Performance Review (RSPR) presented the main findings at a national workshop on road safety held in Yaoundé on 23 and 24, 2018, in the context of a follow-up for the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety.

During the event, Mr. Jean Todt, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, urged stakeholders in Cameroon to strengthen their efforts.

“Cameroon’s authorities show real political will to improve the situation, but they must also overcome key challenges identified in this Review,” he said.

More than five years later, it appears the authourities are failing to do more to ensure that the actionables from the review are implemented.