Paul Naseri Bea, the governor of the central region, said that the bus, carrying more than 30 people, left the capital Yaounde at around 4 a.m. local time (0300 GMT) on Friday.

A member of the National Gendarmerie's Road Brigade, who had come to help the victims, said that the bus driver might have slept off while driving.

"Almost everyone is dead. Only five injured were transported to the Bafia hospital," Ombang Christian, one of the survivors, said.

The Ndikinimeki highway has seen many road accidents in the past.

Last March, an accident in the same locality killed five people and injured 20 others, according to local authorities.