While the company claims it is in compliance, the investigation points to a drowsy driver, excessive speed and the absence of approved safety devices, causing the immediate suspension of the operator.
The stifling night of Thursday, August 13, 2026, stretched slowly across the verdant hills of Central Cameroon, enveloping National Route 4 in a cloak of shadow. Around 4:00 a.m., in the town of Nomalé, the darkness was about to give way to horror. A 70-seat bus belonging to the MANGWA BOY COMPANY LIMITED, registration number CE649MK, crashed head-on into a truck loaded with planks, which had been parked for several days on the side of the road without proper warning lights. The toll was heavy: 16 dead and 42 injured, according to the authorities. The bus was actually carrying a delegation from Yaoundé on its way to a funeral in Batcham-Chefferie, in the Nzimmeguia neighborhood. This somber journey itself became a funeral.
The tragedy struck with unprecedented violence. The large truck, loaded with planks, had broken down and was immobilized on the road. The danger was barely indicated: the warning triangle had been placed two meters from the vehicle, instead of the required thirty—a criminal negligence later denounced by witnesses. In total darkness, the bus driver had no chance. The impact ripped through the first five rows of seats. Planks from the cargo ripped through the passenger compartment, transforming the front of the bus into a mangled heap of twisted metal and debris. The driver, Mr. Mezepo Salomon, born on May 1, 1976, in Bamendjing, and about ten passengers were killed instantly. Around the charred wreckage, pools of fresh blood mingled with the mud and planks.
Once the alarm was raised, a constant stream of ambulances transported the injured to the Bafia District Hospital and the Makenene Hospital. Dr. Yamen Soulé
Georges Saturning, director of the Bafia hospital, found himself on the front line. « Of the forty injured received, one is in particularly critical condition, with an oxygen saturation of 76%, » he confided. He detailed the injuries: « Numerous severe internal traumas, open fractures, and intense pain. » Despite the logistical challenges, the medical staff demonstrated heroic dedication. All the patients are now out of immediate danger.
The authorities react strongly
According to initial investigations, the bus was traveling at excessive speed, the driver was drowsy – the collision occurred at 4:00 a.m., a critical time when fatigue is at its peak – and the vehicle lacked approved safety equipment. The truck, for its part, was improperly parked and overloaded. These findings directly contradict the company’s claims. Given the scale of the tragedy, the minister announced severe sanctions: suspension of the MANGWA BOY company and impoundment of its vehicles, a compliance audit, the revocation of Tata Emmanuel’s transport license, a one-year suspension of the driver’s license, and a fine of 5 million CFA francs for operating a transport business without a license.
“In these times of great sorrow, we share the grief of the entire nation and we bow respectfully before the memory of the departed,” the minister declared, offering his sincere condolences to the bereaved families. A day of mourning has been declared for Saturday, August 15th.
Nomalé has thus added its name to the grim annals of Cameroon’s road tragedies. National Route 4, which connects Yaoundé to Bafoussam, is infamous for its deadly accidents. In December 2020, 37 people lost their lives at the same spot, the Nomalé bridge, in a collision between an Avenir Voyage bus and a truck. This latest tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the absolute necessity of caution on our roads – a tragedy attributable to incivility, the lack of lighting, and the narrowness of the road in this department of Mbam and Inoubou, in the heart of Central Cameroon.
