The Kotobi–Anékro road, near Daoukro, was the scene of a violent road tragedy this Friday, November 28, 2025. A head-on collision involving a KTM-type motorcycle and a Haojin, engaged in a wild race, left five people seriously injured .

The accident occurred approximately two kilometers from Kotobi. Both vehicles were dangerously overloaded: three people were on the Haojin and two on the powerful KTM. Even worse, none of the five occupants were wearing helmets .

An Unreasonable Race on a Deteriorating Road

According to eyewitness accounts gathered at the scene and a victim named Jean-Marc Aka, the leading theory is that the accident was an impromptu street race. The tragedy is believed to have unfolded on this notoriously poor road, riddled with potholes.

One of the motorcycles reportedly fell into a deep pothole before overturning. The second, traveling at high speed in this reckless challenge, had no chance of avoiding the obstacle and crashed head-on into the first vehicle.

Five victims, critical condition

The impact was incredibly violent. When we arrived at the scene, all five injured people were lying on the ground. The two drivers, in particular, were unconscious and lying in pools of blood ; their lives were in danger.

Local residents immediately provided first aid while awaiting the arrival of civilian firefighters dispatched from Bongouanou. However, by the time our team left the scene of the accident, the victims' condition, marked by increasingly rapid and shallow breathing, had become extremely critical.

This tragedy underlines, once again, the dangers of overloading, not wearing a helmet, and excessive speed on the region's degraded roads.