Far North: Seven passengers roasted to death as vehicle catches fire.

It is reported that the vehicle that caught fire was a minibus that belongs to the Diamare Travel Agency. 

The vehicle is said to have left Maroua and was headed for Maga, in the Mayo-Danay Division, when the unfortunate incident happened.

The minibus was said to be having 20 passengers on board when the fire erupted. The Guardian Post gathered that there is a child among those roasted to death.

According to reports, five other passengers were severely injured. They are said to have been immediately rushed to the intensive care unit of the Bogo District Hospital. 

Sources said to have witnessed the incident are quoted as having narrated that the driver was driving on normal speed when the vehicle surprisingly caught fire.

Though the exact cause of the incident remains unclear, survivors are quoted as having blamed the incident on a gas cylinder that was in the car. They gas cylinder is said to have exploded, resulting in the fire.

The driver of the burnt vehicle is said to have maintained the view that the fire was caused by a malfunction in the vehicle's fuel pump, which he did not see coming.

The Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, of Diamare Division, Jean-Marc Ekoa Mbarga, accompanied by some close collaborators, is said to have visited the accident scene.

The administrative authority, we gathered, extended condolences to the bereaved families while wishing speedy recovery to survivors of the accident.

Ekoa Mbarga is also said to have announced investigations to ascertain the exact cause of the incident.

In an interview with state media, CRTV, the Governor of the Far North Region, Midjiyawa Bakary, threatened tough times on those in transport sector not respecting the rules guiding the sector. He urged drivers to avoid transporting passengers alongside inflammable liquids.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3172 of Thursday July 18, 2024