Yaounde-Bertoua highway: Travellers stranded as road accident paralyses circulation for over 48 hours.

According to witness accounts, two trucks from opposing direction collided near the village of Bidjigue I, in Atok Subdivision, Upper Nyong Division.

Sources reported that the truck from Bertoua, in an attempt to evade a summersaulted truck, dashed into the oncoming intermodal truck sparking flames.

Prior to the accident, The Guardian Post gathered that the stumbled truck had been abandoned for several days by authorities not minding the danger it posed to drivers and other road users.

Despite efforts by witnesses to rescue the victims, a driver of one of the trucks, who was trapped in the collusion, perished as the blazing flames quickly engulfed all three trucks. Meanwhile, three other victims were rescued with one rushed to the nearest hospital. 

Circulation impaired for over 48 hours

Following the accident, traffic along the Yaounde-Bertoua road was brought to a standstill for more than 48 hours. 

In wait of the arrival of firefighters and security forces to put the inferno to rest, locals created a road deviation, which allowed for the passage of smaller vehicles. 

However, the deviation, we gathered, also got blocked after a truck transporting pigs got trapped. Firefighters together with security forces, who later arrive the scene, were unable to bring the flames under control. 

From the wee hours of Friday to late hours of Saturday, vehicles formed queues stretching for several kilometres, whilst passengers faced precarious conditions.

Travellers including pregnant women, nursing mothers, children and patients were forced to spend several nights and scourging sun, with their supplies of water and food running low. 

Some travellers also reported difficulties in contacting their loved ones due to their mobile phone batteries being almost flat. The National Road no.10 plays a strategic role in national and regional integration. 

Beyond linking Yaounde to Bertoua and other parts of the country, it also serves as transit road for goods and persons to Chad and Central African Republic. 

Transporters urged to use alternative route 

Following the road blockade along the National Road No.10, East Regional authorities urged transporters and other road users to use the National Road No1 to get to the respective destinations. 

Authorities recommended transporters to use the road stretch Yaounde-Obala-Nanga Eboko-Minta-Diang-Bertoua until traffic is normalized on the National Road No10. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3846 of Monday July 13, 2026