Commentaires

Fuel Tanker Accident : Dangerous Imprudence

Par Richard Kometa
15 juil. 2024 13:09
0 Likes

Inhabitants of Yaounde III Subdivision witnessed a tragic incident at the Efoulan Neighbourhood on Monday 8 July, 2024 in broad day. A fuel tanker full of gallons of petrol overturned and caught fire. Although there was no loss of human life, the material damage was enormous. What appeared outrageous during the accident was the attitude of some nearby residents. They demonstrated a high sense of carelessness and cupidity in their attempt to make capital out of the desperate situation. While firefighters struggled to stop the flames, the police and gendarmerie officers present had difficult time containing the itchy population. People who rather focused on siphoning the fuel for whatever reasons. Probably they wanted it for sale or use in their cars!
Such scenes are unfortunately becoming commonplace in society these days. Not only are the number of accidents on the increase, but the uncivil manner in which people behave in situations where they ought to show empathy is scary. For instance, the Efoulan inferno ended up engulfing several homes and business places with 14 persons leaving in the vicinity falling victims. They lost their entire livelihood. Certificates, personal documents - their entire homes all went in flames. It is certainly good news that no loss in human live was registered. This could simply be as a results of the time the accident occurred and thanks to the prompt intervention of the forces of law and order. Otherwise, those who saw it as an opportunity for them to collect fuel free of charge could have been clear cases of individuals gunning for collective suicide. The bellowing sound of exploding tanks, the skies of smoke, and the heat from the fire did not seem to frighten the hoodlums. To them, it was an occasion to make fast money by collecting fuel from the tankers. Some behaved as if they could have jumped into the fire to make away with items from some of the surrounding building material stores affected by the fire.
A similar fuel disaster occurred not far from the locality way back on 14 February, 1998. This time at the Nsam area, a few kilometres from what happened on Monday 8 July. Over a hundred lives were lost as people went scampering for fuel from tankers that overturned. If people have forgotten nothing from the Nsam fire, because the sequels are still there today, then they seemed to have also learned nothing! No one would expect that anybody could want to first think about making profit from another person’s misfortune. Indeed, it was an unfortunate outcome for the driver and/or owner of the fuel tanker. What would have been expected from right-thinking people should be assistance and other forms of first aid that are necessary in times of trouble. Instead, people either watch on or try to see what advantages could come their way.
Of course, as expected, the inferno in Efoulan was sufficiently strong to dissuade any such moves.
If this was an isolated incident or behaviour, no one would have bothered. But it so happens that increasingly, people show no concern for fellow human being in danger. The general trend is often to reap benefits from just any situation. It is like money and profit at all cost even at the expense of human life. People even risk their own lives for paltry feed and that consequences have been loud-sounding. The social media has come to give a different dimension to the phenomenon. It is virtually like a trendy habit to see people run wobbling commentaries with their smartphones at the site of gory car accidents. Their interest under such circumstances is to tell the world that this is what must have happened. Some even do so with the aim of painting uncomfortable image of life in the country while others just “forward as received.” In either situations, it is not evident that those facing the excruciating pain or trauma from a sad accident site are being helped in any way.