Explosion at Douala Steel Plant Kills at Least Four and Severely Burns 16, Governor Says

An explosion at an iron smelting plant in Douala, Cameroon's commercial capital, on the morning of November 2 killed at least four people and severely burned 16 others. The plant belongs to Metafrique Steel in the Bassa Industrial Park. Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, governor of the Littoral Region, told reporters that an army rescue unit recovered the four bodies, 16 burn victims were taken to Douala General Hospital, and the fire was extinguished. (Photo: file image of the Metafrique Steel site in Douala, not the scene of this explosion.)

Governor: burns are severe, do not be too optimistic

Diboua said the 16 injured were severely burned and warned against optimism given the severity of the burns. He did not identify the dead or injured or say at which stage of production the blast occurred. With some injuries severe, the death toll may still rise.

Company blames an external factor; cause not yet determined

Metafrique Steel said its facilities in the Bassa Industrial Park had been affected by an 'incident, which was caused by an external factor and whose causes have yet to be determined.' The company did not elaborate on what the external factor was, and the cause remains under investigation.

Interior minister visits site and hospital, puts wounded at 19

Interior Minister Atanga Nji later visited the blast site and the Bonassama District Hospital in Bonaberi, where some of the wounded are being treated, and said 19 people were wounded, some of them seriously, with the situation under control. He said President Paul Biya had directed him to visit after being informed of the incident on Monday; the company has operated in Cameroon for 20 years and at the site for three years. The minister's figure of 19 wounded does not line up exactly with the governor's 16 severely burned, and officials have not said whether they cover the same group of patients, so the figures may still move.

Sources: Reuters (via Devdiscourse, 2026-11-02), Littoral Region Governor Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, Metafrique Steel, The Guardian Post Cameroon.