The death toll from the accident that occurred on Sunday, August 23, 2026 on national road N3, between Douala and Yaoundé, has risen throughout the day. First put at seven dead, then around a dozen in early reports, it now stands at 16 victims.
The tragedy took place in the locality of Sikoum, near Édéa, when an intercity bus operated by the Avenir agency, running between the country's two economic hubs, collided head-on with a truck. The impact, of rare violence, triggered a multi-vehicle pile-up.
Emergency services, quickly mobilised, evacuated the injured to hospital facilities in Édéa. An investigation has been opened to establish the exact circumstances of the collision.
The Yaoundé-Douala corridor, nicknamed "the heavy road" for its dense freight traffic, remains one of the country's deadliest: narrow lanes, dangerous overtaking and poorly maintained vehicles cause hundreds of deaths there every year — a toll this latest tragedy adds to.
