Éséka railway accident

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Scene of the accident (Cameroon)
Scene of the accident
Scene of the accident
Location of the accident site in the Cameroon railway network

In the railway accident eseka in Cameroon derailed on 21 October 2016 passenger train of the railway undertaking Camrail , where 79 people were killed.

Starting position

The Intercity 152 was traveling from the capital Yaoundé to Douala on the Douala – Ngaoundéré line . Due to heavy rains, the road connection between the two cities was interrupted after the collapse of a bridge, and the train was therefore overcrowded, especially the lower class cars . Instead of the usual nine carriages , it carried 17 and instead of 600 passengers there were 1,300 on the train. The train left Yaoundé around 11 a.m. about half an hour late.

the accident

In the area of ​​the town of Éséka , the train was traveling at a far excessive speed at around 12 noon: while a maximum speed of 40 km / h was prescribed, the train was 96 km / h. The train derailed shortly before the Éséka station and tore apart: while the front part of the train remained on the line , the rear part fell from a railway embankment .

consequences

Victim

79 people died and 600 were injured. The injured were taken to the local hospital in Éséka, which was completely overwhelmed with a capacity of 60 beds. In addition, even days after the accident, passengers who were on the train were still missing.

Accident investigation

An investigation has been initiated by the judicial authorities and the railway inspectorate, as has a technical investigation. Paul Biya , President of Cameroon, set up a commission of inquiry from which he expected results within 30 days. The report was then available in May 2017. According to this, the majority of the blame for the accident lies with the Camrail railway company : the cars were overstaffed, the train was unacceptably long and the brakes did not work on some cars. Advice from the locomotive driver that the locomotive was not in perfect technical condition was not followed up by those responsible. The report was forwarded to the judiciary. A first trial, initiated by lawsuits from relatives of the accident victims, began on May 17, 2017.

Web links

Commons : Éséka railway accident  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ Camrail offers two car classes in the Intercity: 1st class and "Premium".

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Sylvain Andzongo: Cameroon train derails; at least 55 dead, hundreds injured . In: Reuters of October 21, 2016, accessed on October 23, 2016.
  2. ↑ a b Accident d'Eseka: la Camrail sous le feu of critiques . In: RFI Afrique of October 24, 2016.
  3. ↑ a b c Cameroon train crash: Scores killed, hundreds injured . In: Al Jazeera of October 22, 2016, accessed on October 23, 2016.
  4. ↑ Timetable of the Camrail . In: camrail.net , accessed on October 24, 2016 (French / English).
  5. ^ NN: Cameroun: la "vitesse excessive" .
  6. ^ NN: Cameroun: la "vitesse excessive" .
  7. ↑ Cameroon train crash kills more than 70, injures 600 . In: Fox News of October 22, 2016.
  8. ^ Accident de train d'Eséka: Un notaire introuvable depuis 4 jours, le Procureur de la République scelle son cabinet . In: Camernews of October 26, 2016.
  9. ↑ Cameroonians are furious with their 'absent' president after a national tragedy . In: Quartz Africa of October 25, 2016.
  10. ^ NN: Cameroun: la "vitesse excessive" .
  11. ^ NN: Cameroun: la "vitesse excessive" .

Coordinates: 3 ° 38 ′ 38.4 ″  N , 10 ° 46 ′ 19 ″  E