The Vice President of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (NECC), his driver, and a nun are in stable condition in hospital following a car accident they were involved in on June 29.

In a statement shared with ACI Africa on Monday, July 1, the Chancellor of the Catholic Diocese of Mbalmayo, said their Local Ordinary, Bishop Philippe Alain Mbarga, Sr. Monique Sophie Beyala, and Mr. Belinga were responding to treatment at the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital in Ngalane.

“His Excellency Bishop Philippe Alain Mbarga was involved in a car accident on the stretch of road between his residence and the Cathedral,” Fr. Georges Bertrand Melobo said.

He added, “The Bishop was accompanied by a nun (sacristan) and his driver.”

“Initial clinical interventions have revealed that our Bishop, the nun, and her driver are out of grave danger,” Fr. Melobo said.

The Chancellor further said Bishop Mbarga “thanks all those who, have joined him and the other victims in prayer and outpourings of compassion.”

Fr. Melobo invited the People of God “to pray even more that the victims of this incident may regain their health.”

According to a press release from the Gendarmerie Brigade, the morning accident occurred when the vehicle they were traveling lost its brakes, forcing the driver to veer towards a slope in a desperate attempt to prevent a more catastrophic outcome.

The impact left the car severely damaged, yet remarkably, all three occupants survived, the statement added.

The preliminary cause of the accident is a mechanical failure in the brakes. An investigation has been opened.

Elected Vice President of NECC in April 2022, Bishop Mbarga is well-known and respected as an advocate for peace and justice in the country.

Source: aciafrica