By DOH JAMES SONKEY
Some eight persons have died on the Edea-Pouma stretch of National Road No3 Highway, after a truck on speed collided with a VIP bus matriculated CE076 IG, belonging to Garanti Express.
The incident occurred in the night of Wednesday, September 18, 2019 breaking into Thursday September 19, 2019. Two women and six men are reported to have given up their ghosts on the spot. Officials say their corpses are in terrible conditions, although they were transferred to the mortuary of the Edea District Hospital.
At least eight persons who suffered injuries during the accident, were transported to the Pouma District Hospital for immediate medical attention and a list containing the names of those wounded during the accident was immediately posted on the social media.
Informed of the situation, Transport Minister, Jean Ernest Ngalle Bibehe immediately went down to the scene of the accident to measure the gravity and visited the wounded at the Pouma District Hospital. The Minister did not hesitate to lay the blame on drivers for recklessness on the highway.
It is worth noting that despite attempts made at reducing accidents on the Yaounde-Douala highway, several road accidents continue to occur. Garanti Express has been into several accidents in recent times as well.
Out of the 22,314 road accidents that occurred in Cameroon before December 2018, a death toll of 8,669, an average of 1,000 persons were killed per year. Government officials have often blamed these accidents on the reckless attitudes of drivers and transport companies, while members of the society think it is due to poor state of road networks.