By Boris Esono Nwenfor
BUEA, PAV – At least eight people have been confirmed dead following a shocking fuel tanker explosion on the Likomba Hill axis in Tiko, Fako Division, in the early hours of Friday morning. The tragedy also left about ten houses razed, eight vehicles destroyed, and three persons hospitalised with severe burns.
The Senior Divisional Officer for Fako, Viang Mekala, rushed to the scene immediately after receiving reports of the incident and later briefed the press on the scale of destruction and the emergency response mobilised to contain the inferno.
According to the SDO, the accident involved a petroleum tanker transporting over 30,000 litres of fuel, which reportedly lost its brakes while descending the steep Likomba Hill.
“The situation on the ground is that we registered earlier this morning a fire incident. A petroleum tanker caused the fire incident. Because of a mechanical dysfunction of the brake, the tanker was descending the hill,” Viang Mekala explained.
The tanker crashed and exploded, triggering an uncontrollable fireball that engulfed nearby houses and vehicles along the busy national road, severely disrupting traffic and endangering residents in the vicinity. “The tanker had an accident, and the accident provoked an explosion. All the houses that were just beside got burned because of the fire incident,” the SDO added.
Faced with the magnitude of the disaster, authorities immediately mobilised firefighting teams from SONARA and Douala to reinforce local efforts.
“We received reinforcements from Douala because the incident was very huge. The priority was to evacuate the population around the roadside and then do everything possible to stop the fire,” Viang Mekala said.
The combined efforts of the fire brigades helped bring the blaze largely under control, with officials estimating that about 90 per cent of the fire had been extinguished at the time of the briefing. Traffic on the national road, which had been temporarily suspended due to the risk of further explosions, was reopened later that day.
“We cannot re-establish traffic for now because the fire must be completely stopped. Otherwise, it can provoke another incident,” the SDO cautioned, noting that traffic was expected to resume within an hour once safety was assured.
On human casualties, the Fako SDO confirmed the recovery of eight bodies from the scene, while warning that the death toll could rise as rescue and assessment operations continue.
“For now, we have eight corpses that we have removed from the roadside. The number may increase,” he disclosed. In addition, eight vehicles were completely burned, while nearly ten houses were reduced to ashes. Three survivors who sustained burn injuries were evacuated to the hospital for treatment, though their conditions remain unclear.
The incident has plunged families, the Tiko municipality, and the nation at large into mourning, raising renewed concerns over road safety, the condition of heavy-duty vehicles, and the risks associated with fuel transportation along major highways. Authorities say investigations will be launched to establish full responsibility and prevent similar tragedies in the future.
