At visit to Sangmelima: MINAT boss commiserates, announces presidential support to Kombe accident survivors.

The two government ministers were accompanied by the Governor of the South Region, Felix Nguele Nguele and other administrative and security officials of the region. They also visited some survivors of the road crash who are being treated at the Sangmelima Referral Hospital.

Minister Atanga Nji who led the delegation announced that the President of the Republic, Paul Biya had ordered the disbursement of financial support to survivors and bereaved families.

During the visit to the hospital, Minister Paul Atanga Nji said he had been dispatched by the President of the Republic to apportion his words of encouragement and wishes of quick recovery to the survivors.

According to MINAT boss, the financial support ordered by the Head of State, is intended to assist the surviving victims in their recovery process and to the families of the deceased to aid in the burial process. 

He stressed that the Head of State and his wife, Chantal Biya are very sensitive to the plights of Cameroonians especially in times of disasters as this. The minister equally urged drivers to be more responsible to preserve the lives of innocent road users. 

“It is a very sad situation and from the explanations the governor, SDO and Brigade Commander, we are certain that this is a clear situation of reckless driving,” the MINAT boss said. 

He added that “we have to be conscious because following the circumstances of the accident, it is clear that the truck should not have been on the other side of the road where the bus was going normally”. 

“Just as much as we are extending the heartfelt condolences of the presidential couple to the bereaved families, we also have to sensitise the population and drivers on road safety measures. We have to be more conscious and we have to understand that a road without vehicles cannot kill,” he emphasised.

The members of government were informed that five severe cases of the injured victims had been transferred to Yaounde for adequate treatment while the corpes of the deceased were deposited at the morgue of the Referral hospital. 

Victim narrates incident

According to one of the survivors, it was a miracle that she and her baby survived the accident. 

“I was carrying my child while in the car when it happened. I don’t know how it happened but I just saw myself on the ground after the accident,” Miriame Engono, one of the survivors narrated. 

“I just thank God for saving me and by baby,” she added. 

It should be recalled that the accident occurred in the morning of Wednesday at a village named Kombe. The Guardian Post had gathered that the accident resulted from a head-on collision between a heavy-duty truck, matriculated LTSR 57280 and a passenger bus with matriculation number plate CE0440A, belonging to the public transport agency called Galaxie Voyage. 

The 30-seater bus had departed from the chief town of the Dja-and-Lobo Division with 23 passengers on board and were heading to Yaounde when they met their untimely death. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3256 of Friday October 11, 2024