Rotten electric pole falls off blocking traffic in Yaounde

Disaster was avoided in the Montée Jouvence neighbourhood of Yaounde on Saturday, December 12, 2015, after an electricity pole belonging to Energy of Cameroon, Eneo, broke off from the ground without any wind blowing. However, no one was electrocuted as the detached high-tension pole hanged precariously over the street, after its cables had snapped and the loose ends lying on the ground.

As a result, power went off from the Montée Jouvence Junction to the Total Mendong Filling Station stretch of the street. It was only restored at 9.30 pm, about four hours on, after Eneo employees worked tirelessly to replace the broken pole and snapped cables. The incident happened at 5.10 pm in front of a hair salon between Diplomatic Hall and Duchess Bar.  Hyacinth Kongso, a barber whose shop is located a few metres from where the pole broke off - apparently after being eaten by weevils - he was alerted by a loud cracking sound and the shouts of people fleeing in all directions. He and his customers then dashed out of his shop.

On-coming motorists were forced to turn back. However, in spite of the risks posed by the cut cables and hanging power pole, other motorists continued to drive over the loose power lines. Kongso said the broken pole was replaced about a year ago. He recalled another incident a few years back when high-tension cables snapped in the same area in the midst of heavy rains, obliging traffic to stop.

Shenwe Ghogomu, a customer in the hair salon in front of which the pole broke, said the owner, Solange Njong, noticed it crumbling and raised alarm for the 13 people inside to flee. She said it was while they were preparing to return to the salon after some minutes that the hanging pole descended even lower, forcing them to retreat.