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Minister: 55 Killed Hundreds Injured In Cameroon Train Accident

On Friday, around 55 people were killed and above the 600 people injured when a packed Cameroon passenger train derailed. The train was travelling from the capital Yaoundé to the economic hub Douala, said the transport minister.

Transport Minister – Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo’o said that the train, crammed with people due to road traffic disruption between the two cities, came off the tracks just before reaching the central city of Eseka.

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The minister through the state broadcaster CRTV, said that around 55 people had been found dead and a further 575 were injured in the incident.

He said that the cause of the accident is not clear till now and added that several of the injured were in very serious condition and immediately they rushed to the hospital for medical treatment.

Transport ministry officials have rushed to the accident site immediately.

The transport minister said that the train left Yaounde at around 11:00 am (1000 GMT) and derailed around mid-day some 200 kilometers from the capital.

The train route was particularly busy after a bridge on the road linking Yaounde and Douala collapsed in heavy rain overnight Thursday, paralysing traffic and sending extra waves of travellers onto trains.

The Rail company – Camrail which is the subsidiary of French investment group Bollore, annouched that intervention and security teams have been mobilised.

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