YAOUNDE, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people have died after two passenger boats collided in southwestern Cameroon, security sources and residents said Monday.
The accident occurred early Sunday morning around Gold Coast Creek in Kombo Itindi Subdivision.
According to local sources, a 250-horsepower boat coming from Ikang, Nigeria, collided with a 75-horsepower speedboat that had departed Ekondo Titi, Cameroon, en route to Nigeria.
Local journalist Solomon Agborem told Xinhua that an eight-year-old was among the dead.
"Where the collision happened is a creek. There is a bend there and visibility was difficult since it was the early hours of Sunday morning," Agborem said by phone.
Witnesses said the bodies of the victims were retrieved and brought ashore. It was not immediately clear if there were additional injuries.
The creek is a busy waterway used for cross-border travel between Cameroon and Nigeria. ■