Cameroon
In Cameroon an explosion followed by a fire at a metallurgical plant has left at least four people dead and sixteen others seriously injured.
The incident took place in Douala on Monday morning at the Metafrique Steel metal processing company in the Bassa industrial zone.
The explosion occurred at around 7am and fire quickly spread throughout the factory. Emergency services responded and discovered four bodies.
The injured workers were rushed to Douala General Hospital in critical condition. Most of them are suffering from burns covering a significant proportion of their bodies.
The Governor of the Littoral Region, Samuel Dieudonné Ivaha Diboua, visited the scene of the incident and the injured workers at the hospital. He condemned the company’s failure to comply with safety measures imposed following a previous fire last May.
An investigation has been announced to determine the exact circumstances surrounding this latest tragedy. The governor also raised the possibility of shutting down the factory’s operations.
In Douala, questions are once again being raised about worker safety in industrial facilities.
