By Mboh Promise
At least four persons have been confirmed dead, three hospitalized and over five rescued by elements of the Amy Rescue Unit in Bamenda, chief town of the North West region, following a heavy downpour, which occurred on Thursday March 26 evening.
The unfortunate incident took place at about 6:30pm at the Mile 2 bridge which is under construction in Bamenda III Subdivision, when civilians were struggling to rush home through a temporary pedestrian bridge provided by the construction company, Buns.
Alerted by the population, the Army Rescue team, led by Warrant Officer Taku Paul, arrived at the scene that evening but could not immediately carry out any search, as it was already night. With the help of the population, the search began on Friday morning leading to the discovery of four bodies, as reported by authorities.
In a statement issued on Friday evening, the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO for Mezam, Simon Emile Mooh, revealed that five other persons were rescued in the incident, who were rushed to the hospital and were already “out of danger” as at the time of his report.
The incident plunged the city into fear, as many rushed to the scene on Friday morning struggling to identify the victims. Amongst those identified were Njini Courage and Lum Lawrencia.
Speaking to the press after several hours of search with his team, Warrant Officer Taku Paul of the Bamenda Army Rescue unit said the team could only return to the site, if there is concrete evidence of any missing cases.
Construction company blamed for negligence
Following Thursday’s incident, some inhabitants of the city of Bamenda have raised concerns over poor safety measures by the BUNS construction company, which is in charge of the urban crossing road project.
While some took to social media and said the temporary bridge was poorly installed, others say the company has been noted for poor safety measures, leading to several accidents since the commencement of the road project.
“It shouldn’t end with just a condolence statement. It’s high time the company puts in place proper safety measures to ensure the safety of property and most especially lives. We will say some of us are careless but I think we are just not informed and it’s the duty of the company through their Safety officers to do that and ensure the measures are respected…,” Tsi Remi said.
Authorities, BUNS reassure safety measures
In a report to the Minister of Public Works, the North West Regional Delegate of Public Works, Nfor Cyprain, said the Governor of the North West region visited the site and instructed that a safer temporary bridge be constructed.
In a statement of condolence and solidarity addressed to the population on Friday March 27th, the management of BUNS company said measures will be taken to prevent further disruption and losses in the future.
“We wish to reassure you that your safety remains at the core of all ongoing works…We reaffirm our full commitment to transparency and cooperation with the relevant authorities. Every measure will be taken to ensure that such an incident does not recur.,” a section of the statement reads.
The construction company also noted that it will reinforce all temporary crossings and safety installations across the project, conduct a comprehensive technical review of all provisional structures, and strengthen monitoring and emergency response measures, especially during adverse weather conditions.
Population challenged to respect safety measures
On the other hand, authorities have called on the population and road users to respect all safety measures put in place by the construction workers.
It is reported that some road users have not been respecting the measures put in place by the construction workers.
While calling on the population to pay attention to methodological weather forecasts, SDO Simon Emile also cautioned for strict compliance with safety regulations around all the construction sites.
