(Business in Cameroon) - After the furnace explosion that occurred last March 20 in the premises of Acero Metal, in the industrial zone of Bonabéri in Douala, the government requested that the unit be closed and locked. The decision should be rolled out as soon as possible, a source inside the services of the governor of the Littoral said.

"After the accident (explosion of a furnace, ed) that occurred on Monday, March 20, 2023, within the facilities of the company Acero Metal…and caused significant material and human damage, I am hereby asking you to swiftly take precautionary measures by closing and locking the facilities (...), pending the results of the ongoing administrative and technical investigation," the acting Minister of Industry, Mines and Technological Development, Fuh Calistus Gentry, wrote in a letter sent to Governor Dieudonné Ivaha Diboua.

According to the Acting Minister, Acero Metal "does not respect the relevant provisions of the law imposed on establishments classified as dangerous, unhealthy and inconvenient (4,600 industrial units of this type were listed in the country in 2017, ed)”. This means that at least one control conducted by the National Committee of Inspections of the Ministry of Industry has found that the activities of Acero Metal do not comply with health, environmental, and social safety standards. Yet, no adjustments or appropriate law enforcement measures have so far been taken.

The day the tragedy happened, the toll was 17 people injured, including "10 seriously injured". Now, other cases have been reported. Among them are two cases of trauma, according to information relayed by CRTV Web. 

Brice R. Mbodiam