14 killed, several injured in Garoua-Boulai-Ngaoundere highway accident.

A communique, issued Tuesday by the Minister of Transport, Jean Ernest Massena Ngalle Bibehe, indicated that the accident occurred at a locality known Lom, involving a passenger transport bus, registered LT473MD belonging to the travel company, Touristique Express.

Going by information gathered, the bus, which left Yaounde for Ngaoundere, rolled over twice after leaving the road tract.

“Provisional assessment of the accident indicates that, 14 persons have died, including seven men, six women and a ten-year-old child and several injured,” the minister stated in the communique.

The injured victims of the 70-seater bus, aged between 18 to 69 years, were rushed to the Garoua-Boulai hospital, while the remains of deceased persons were deposited at the mortuary.

“Administrative authorities are on the ground to coordinate assistance to victims. Final assessment of the accident will be communicated at the end of the enquiry opened, to determine the circumstances and causes of the accident,” the minister further stated.

While extending government’s condolences to bereaved families, Minister Ngalle Bibebe called on road users, especially drivers to be more prudence and to have a sense of responsibility while on the steering in a bid to sustainably curb road accidents in the entire country.

Road accidents on major highways have often been attributed to over-speeding and drunk-driving by drivers, resulting to several deaths.

On their part, drivers have blamed the bad state of several major roads characterised by potholes, absence of road signs coupled with poor visibility.