By Iliya Kure
A national mourning service was held Monday in Eseka, Cameroun, to honour the over 75 people who loss their lives in a train crash.
On Friday, a passenger train derailed at Eseka station, 125 kilometres west of Yaounde, killing more than 75 people, injuring 600 others.
The train was travelling from Yaounde, capital of the country, to the port city of Douala.
On Saturday, President Paul Biya of Cameroun declared Monday 24th October as a national day of mourning, instructing that all flags fly at half-mast across the nation.
He also ordered a probe into the circumstances leading to the accident.
‘‘I have ordered an in-depth inquiry into the causes of this accident. I have ordered for victims’ [medical] costs to be paid for by the state.”
Reports say the train was carrying more than 1,350 passengers, instead of its 600 passenger capacity.
Cameroun officials told a local radio station the weight of the train had exceeded the limit of the 30-year old railway line.
There were other reports saying a road had collapsed following heavy rains between Yaounde and Douala.