At least eight people were killed and over 50 others injured in a road accident in Cameroon’s West Region Wednesday, according to local police and witnesses.

Local police said the accident occurred after a speeding passenger bus failed its brakes as it was descending a steep hill in Dschang town of the region.

The bus had left the town of Foumban and was heading to the country’s largest city Douala.

Witnesses said that some of the victims were students returning from holidays.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

Some 1,500 people die in road accidents each year in the central African nation, according to the country’s Ministry of Transport.

In June, Cameroon launched a road safety and prevention campaign initiating tough road safety measures, including the deployment of additional traffic officers to curb rising road accidents in the country.

Source: Xinhuanet