11 perish in Buea-Muyuka fatal road accident

At least 11 people died, with several others fatally injured, following a ghastly motor accident Feb. 2 along Ekona-Muyuka highway.

The accident occurred around 10am on Mile Two-Nine hill, near Ekona. It happened as a result of a head-on collision between a bus and a Prado Toyota SUV.

The bus was carrying students of the Pan African Institute for Development-West Africa, PAID-WA Buea, and the Toyota was coming from the Kumba end of the highway.

The students said to be of the departments of marketing, finance and project Management are reported to have been on an academic trip to Kumba.

Eleven lives were reportedly lost on the spot; eight students in the bus and three others on board the private Toyota Prado.

The owner of the Prado SUV, a certain Lucy Fayez survived the accident alongside two others though currently in the hospital under critical conditions. Her intestines are reported to have busted out of the belly.

However, Nurses at the Buea Regional Hospital, told The Journal at press time that she was recovering.

According to Valery Taku, Commander of the Muyuka Gendarmerie Command Post, the accident occurred when seemingly-looking rickety 36-seater bus lost its brakes while descending the mile Two-Nine Hill on top speed and collided with the oncoming Prado.

According to the Gendarmerie Commander, 6 lifeless bodies were retrieved from the scene of the accident; two from the private car and four from the bus. Two others died at the Buea Regional Hospital.

In a hard tone, Gendarmerie Commander Taku said the following: “This bus was on top speed. It tried to overtake as the Prado was coming up. So, it could not dodge….at the time we removed everybody, we had six deaths on the spot.

Maybe others will come up in the hospital. It is a pity because if PAID-WA can hire something like this then it’s terrible. I’m waiting for the director. He has to tell us why an international school should hire something like this. How can a bus be made of wood instead of iron? Look at the floor of the bus.”

At the gruesome scene of the incident, The Journal with the help of security elements stumbled on some of the identities of the deceased. They include: Emilia Mbue, Mundiah Henry, Daniel Mbasi, Bindi Tamuga, Leocadia Mballe – (from Equatorial Guinea studying at PAID-WA), Tchoungan Berane Fortune, Tamanga Penn Ndi.

We were not able to get all the names.

At Buea Regional Hospital mortuary, there was severe mourning as hundreds of friends, classmates and family members of the victims poured in to see for themselves the remains.

Meantime, a witness at the scene told The Journal that the accident occurred when the bus with 40 PAID-WA students developed break failure on the Mile 29 hill and went on a head-on collision with the Toyota SUV destined for Buea.

Another heavy duty vehicle between the bus and the Prado further compounded matters as the bus driver struggled to overtake on top speed.

One of the survivors, a PAID-WA student of Equato-Guinean origin, told The Journal at the mortuary that a strange sound emanating from the bus was heard before the crash. She said the driver deliberately continued his avoidable ride down the Mile 29 hill.

Besides the 40 students, the bus equally had on board two staff from the institute and a bus captain fondly called “motor boy.” Both are said to have sustained severe injuries.

Injured victims of the accident are said to have been evacuated to hospitals in Ekona, Muea, Muyuka, Buea and Douala, while bodies of the victims are currently lying at the Buea Regional Hospital mortuary.