Cameroon: 11 Die in Logone River Boat Wreck

Yagoua, Cameroon—Administrative and municipal authorities of the Cameroonian town of Yagoua in the Northern region of the country confirmed that rescue teams recovered 11 bodies a day after a locally fabricated boat capsized on the river Logone on Thursday evening.

The boat that had not less than 14 people, most of them women was returning from in a periodic market in the locality of Bongor in neighboring Chad, local French Language daily, Le Jour reported Monday quoting official sources.

“One of the victims was a seven-year old child whose mother survived,” the mayor of the Yagoua municipality, Mr. Fissou Kouma said.

The Northern region of Cameroon and particularly the Benue plain has registered several wrecks lately.

Not less than 37 people died two months ago when two boats collided on the river Benue following a thunderstorm.

As a first measure to prevent such a disaster from repeating, the governor of North region, Jean Abate E. banned night travels by boat along river Benue.

Over 500 small boats move between Lagdo and Rey Bouba area on some days, especially market days, according to official statistics.