Context: Read the previous brief on this event.
Survivors of the Eseka train derailment marked the tenth anniversary of the crash on 21 October 2026 with compensation still unpaid for some and Camrail's appeal against its convictions still unheard, the company and victims' families said.
The passenger train was travelling from Yaounde to Douala when it left the tracks near Eseka, about 100 kilometres from the capital, on 21 October 2016. The crash killed 79 people and injured more than 500. An investigation found the train was moving at 96 kilometres per hour on a stretch limited to 40, and that extra carriages had been added to a train already carrying too many passengers.
In September 2018, a court in Eseka convicted Camrail and 11 employees of involuntary manslaughter and unintentional injury. The former managing director received a suspended six-month sentence. The train driver, who did not appear, was sentenced to five years. Camrail appealed, arguing that no qualified expert assessment had been carried out. Lawyers for victims said the compensation awarded was too low, and some payments have not been made.
The brief of 21 October 2026 reported Camrail's statement that it had paid 98% of compensation. Families disputed that the process was complete but gave no figure for outstanding claims. The appeal remains pending, and the search for the body of notary Dorette Dissake, missing since the crash, continues.