75 are reported dead and about 600 people injured in Friday’s train derailment accident in Cameroon.

This is a rise in the toll confirmed yesterday which was previously 53 dead, 575 injured and 14 trapped in the carriages.

Original story

A train derailed in Cameroon on Friday reportedly killing about 10 people and injuring over 60 people who were on board.

According to local media, the accident occured in Eseka on the line between the country’s main cities, Douala and the capital, Yaounde. The train was said to be packed.

Pictures circulating on social media showed that the derailed train had overturned near the tracks. Dead bodies and injured persons were also at the scene of the accident. The state owned CRTV showed people giving injured persons first aid.

De nombreux blessés pris en charge et des morts enregistrés lors du déraillement de cette mi-journée m. Le bilan consolidé reste attendu. pic.twitter.com/rGcrspj53M — CRTV web (@CRTV_web) October 21, 2016

“There are many injured. We are still in the phase of evaluating the situation. We cannot give even a provisional toll,” said an official for national rail company Camrail, who asked not to be named.

A local hospital official also confirmed that 10 corpses were brought in from the accident scene. Local journalists confirmed that the train was very packed at the time of the accident.

The French ambassador to Cameroon, Gilles Thibault, tweeted a condolence message to the families and victime of the crash. ‘‘I present condolences saddened families and loved ones of the victims of the crash of the Yaoundé – Douala.’‘

Je présente mes condoléances attristées aux familles et aux proches des victimes de l'accident du train Yaoundé- Douala #Cameroun #Cameroon — Gilles Thibault (@G_Thibault_Fr) October 21, 2016

Rail is one of the key modes of transport in the country. It serves in transporting both people and goods. Due to the speed of rail, people usually cram unto coaches to get to their destinations.

The rail company had earlier denied via its facebook page that there was an accident. They later confirmed the incident and said they were working to provide official details of the incident.</s>ESEKA, Cameroon (Reuters) - Fourteen people remained trapped on Friday under the wreckage of a packed passenger train that derailed en route between Cameroon’s two largest cities, killing at least 55 and injuring 575, the government said in a communique read on state television.

The Camrail inter-city train was traveling from the capital, Yaounde, to the port city of Douala when the accident occurred around 11 a.m. local time (1000 GMT) near the train station in the town of Eseka, around 120 km (75 miles) west of the capital.

“There was a loud noise. I looked back and the wagons behind us left the rails and started rolling over and over. There was a lot of smoke,” said a Reuters journalist traveling in a wagon near the front of the train.

Before its departure from Yaounde, he said that a railway employee said additional wagons had been added to the train to accommodate extra passengers, though it was unclear if that played a role in the accident.

The collapse of a section of the main highway between the capital and Douala had prompted increased numbers of passengers to undertake the journey by rail. The two incidents, which occurred on the same day, have now effectively cut the main transportation axis in the Central African country of over 22 million.

“There are the bodies of women, children. There are many,” said one employee of Camrail, which is operated by France’s Bollore, speaking from the scene of the accident. He said three of his colleagues were among the victims.

Joel Bineli, a passenger on the derailed train, told Reuters he saw dismembered bodies on the tracks at the accident site.

Social media users posted photos taken at the scene of the accident which showed several wagons overturned on a slope beside the rail line.

“Rescue workers arrived and they are pulling bodies from the wagon. I’ve already counted around 40 bodies they’ve removed,” said Rachelle Paden, another passenger.

Camrail said it had sent teams to the site and the injured were being transported to a local hospital. Others were driven to Douala. It expressed its condolences to victims’ families in a post on its official Facebook page.

A Bollore spokesman confirmed that an accident had occurred, but offered no further details.

Many rail lines in West and Central Africa have a reputation for poor maintenance and failing to respect safety norms. Derailments are relatively common.

Though Bollore is generally viewed as a reliable operator, it experienced another major incident last month when part of a bridge along a line it controls in Ivory Coast collapsed under the weight of a freight train.</s>Cameroon’s President announced on Saturday that more than 70 people had been killed and another 600 injured when a passenger train crashed on Friday.

The packed Camrail train had been travelling from the capital Yaounde to the port city of Douala. It was derailed at around 11 a.m. local time (1000 GMT) near the station in the town of Eseka, 120 km west of the capital, causing carriages to overturn.

Witnesses said rail workers had added additional carriages to accommodate extra passengers before its departure, though it is not clear if that decision contributed to the accident.</s>Fifty-three people were killed and nearly 300 injured on Friday when a packed passenger train travelling between Cameroon’s two largest cities derailed and overturned, the transportation minister said.

Speaking on state radio, Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo’o said the figures represented a provisional toll from the incident, which occurred near the train station in the town of Eseka, about 120km (75 miles) west of Yaounde.

Camrail, which is operated by France’s Bollore Railways, confirmed on its Facebook page that an accident had occurred. Passengers put the time of the accident at around 11am.

“There was a loud noise. I looked back and the wagons behind us left the rails and started rolling over and over. There was a lot of smoke,” said a Reuters journalist travelling in a wagon near the front of the train.

He said that, before its departure from Yaounde, a railway employee said eight additional wagons had been added to the normally nine-wagon train to accommodate extra passengers, though it was unclear if that played a role in the accident.

The collapse of a bridge along the main highway between the capital and Douala had prompted increased numbers of passengers to undertake the journey by rail.

Joel Bineli, a passenger, told Reuters he saw the dismembered bodies of three fellow passengers on the tracks at the accident site. Social media users posted photographs purported to have been taken at the scene of the accident which showed several wagons overturned on a slope beside the rail line.

“Rescue workers arrived and they are pulling bodies from the wagon. I’ve already counted around 40 bodies they’ve removed, but I cannot confirm if they are dead or wounded,” said Rachelle Paden, another passenger.

Camrail said it had sent teams to the site but declined to give any further information on the incident. A Bollore spokesman would only confirm that an accident had occurred.

Many rail lines in west and central Africa have a reputation for poor maintenance and failing to respect safety norms. Derailments are relatively common.

Though Bollore is generally viewed as a reliable operator, it experienced another major incident last month when part of a bridge along a line it controls in Ivory Coast collapsed under a freight train.</s>ESEKA, Cameroon — Cameroon's transport minister says at least 53 people have died after a train overloaded with passengers derailed along the route that links the country's two major cities.

Transport Minister Edgard Alain Mebe Ngo'o said the derailment Friday also injured at least 300 people. State radio is reporting that the crash occurred in Eseka, about two hours from the capital, Yaounde.

Journalists have been blocked from the scene by angry crowds.

Rail officials say the train had been carrying 1,300 passengers instead of the usual 600. The accident comes as heavy rains have caused landslides along roads in the region.</s>ESEKA, Cameroon (AP) — An overloaded train derailed along the route that links Cameroon’s two major cities on Friday, killing at least 53 people and injuring more than 300, the government said.

The injured could not be evacuated until rail travel is re-established, said government spokesman Issa Tchiroma, adding that the death toll is likely to rise.

“It has been a sad day in Cameroon,” he said. “The president has extended his message of condolence to the families that lost their loved ones and asked me to tell all of you that he is concerned about your well-being and quick recovery.”

Some of the dead are still lying amid the overturned rail cars while others have been evacuated to the Eseka hospital mortuary.

Volunteer rescue workers, family members and others at the scene gave first aid as those stranded and hurt cried for help in Eseka, where the trained derailed and damaged the rail lines about 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of the capital, Yaounde.

The train that derailed between Yaounde and the port city of Douala had been carrying 1,300 passengers instead of the usual 600, rail officials told state radio. The accident came as heavy rains have caused landslides along roads in the region. A portion of the road linking the capital Yaounde to Douala had collapsed, so the 30-year-old rail lines were overtaxed, the rail officials said.

Eseka is hard to reach by road, and there was panic at the site of the crash where very few doctors and medical staff were available.

Health Minister Andre Mama Fouda, who flew to the scene with other officials, called on medical staff from neighboring towns to come and help and said that the government would take care of the injured.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>ESEKA, Cameroon (AP) — At least 53 people have died after a train overloaded with passengers derailed along the route that links Cameroon’s two major cities, the country’s transport minister said late Friday.

At least 300 others were injured in the accident in Eseka, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of the capital, Yaounde, said Edgard Alain Mebe Ngo’o, who was at the scene.

Rail officials told state radio that the train traveling between Yaounde and the port city of Douala had been carrying 1,300 passengers instead of the usual 600. The accident came as heavy rains have caused landslides along roads in the region.

Officials were on the way to assess the situation and visit hospitals, state media reported.

The government will take care of the injured, Health Minister Andre Mama Fouda said.</s>The train, crammed with people due to road traffic disruption between the two cities, left the tracks just before reaching the central city of Eseka. By Fred Dufour (AFP/File)

YaoundÃ© (AFP) - Fifty-three people died when a packed Cameroon passenger train derailed on Friday while travelling between the capital Yaounde and the economic hub Douala, state broadcaster Crtv said.

The train, crammed with people due to road traffic disruption between the two cities, left the tracks just before reaching the central city of Eseka, Transport minister Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo'o said earlier.</s>Fifty-three people were killed and nearly 300 injured on Friday when a packed passenger train travelling between Cameroon’s two largest cities derailed and overturned, the transportation minister said.

Speaking on state radio, Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo’o said the figures represented a provisional toll from the accident, which occurred near the train station in the town of Eseka, around 120 km (75 miles) west of Yaounde.</s>At least three people were killed and others were injured when a packed passenger train traveling between Cameroon's capital, Yaounde, and the port city of Douala derailed and overturned on Friday, witnesses said.

"There are many injured. We are still in the phase of evaluating the situation. We cannot give even a provisional toll," said an official for national rail company Camrail, who asked not to be named.
A passenger train derails in central Cameroon, killing at least 53 people and injuring 575 others.