TV antenna kills four in Logbessou

Four technicians have died after a CRTV pylon antenna collapsed on Friday 28th September 2014.

The incident took place in Logbessou, Douala.

The victims, employees of a private maintenance enterprise, CARTEL, were rehabilitating the equipment when the 32-year old pylon, 160 metres long loaded with transmitters ceded.

The Director General of CARTEL, alerted after the tragedy explained that the probable cause of the accident must have been the surplus weight placed on the pylon.

Not only did it carry antennas of telecommunication organs including Africa Number One, RFI, BBC, CAMTEL, Orange and MTN but the four workers at the time of the collapse added their weight to the age-old metal .

The Minister of Communication who is the chairman, of CRTV Board of Directors Issa Tchiroma Bakary held a crisis meeting after visiting the scene of the tragedy.

In the company of competent authorities, temporal measures were put in place so the public shall not be deprived of sounds and signals provided by the fallen antenna.

The General Manager of Crtv, Amadou Vamoulke after condoling with families of the deceased promised to order frequent checks and maintenance of the thirty CRTV antennas in Cameroon in order that there should never be a repeat of this tragic occurrence.

Sanda Oumarou is a miraculous escapee who constituted the five man team that worked on the antenna.

He got off just minutes after the tragedy on instructions of his director.

Visibly heartbroken, he witnessed the tragedy and confirms the overloading argument of his hierarchy.