Fatal Train Derailments in Cameroon, South African and Ghana
In July, one person died and many others sustained serious injuries after a freight train derailed in Makondo town, 87 miles west of the Cameroonian capital Yaounde. The incident happened less than a year after another train operated by the same state rail company Camrail overturned killing 79 people.
A government report blamed Camrail, a unit of French industrial group Bollore, for the accidents, arguing that the trains normally exceed the speed limit, are overloaded and have defective brakes.
In June, a train derailed in Mpumalanga, South Africa, leaving several passengers with minor injuries. Even though there were no causalities reported from the incident, it raised questions about the safety standards of railroads in South Africa. Initial investigations revealed that the train overturned due to damaged tracks.
In October, another train overturned in Tesano, Ghana, en route to the capital Accra. Luckily, there were no casualties, but the incident left at least three people nursing serious injuries. The cause of the accident wasn’t immediately discovered although some people associated it with the poor state of the rail tracks.
