Over 40 Dead After 2 Buses Involved in Road Crash on Major Uganda Highway
Two buses crashed into each other on a major highway in Uganda, killing 46 people and injuring several others.
Initial reports said 63 had died, but police lowered the death toll to 46 after the initial shock of the October 22 crash on the Kampala-Gulu highway in Kiryandongo district.
Source: Getty Images
AFP reported that Uganda has a notorious road safety record, frequently recording bus or truck accidents along poorly maintained highways.
Police said the crash came after one bus was engaged in an overtaking manoeuvre.
One of the drivers swerved in an attempt to avoid a collision, but instead caused "a chain reaction which led to at least four other vehicles losing control and overturning several times.
The statement also said officials were working closely with health and emergency services, and more updates would be released as the situation developed.
Videos and photos published by local media showed the tangled metal of two large buses illuminated by rescue spotlights.
Those hurt had been taken to Kiryandongo Hospital and other nearby medical facilities, the statement said, but did not give any further details on the number injured or the extent of their wounds.
President Yoweri Museveni expressed his condolences to the families of those killed in the "tragic accident", and called on drivers to exercise more caution.
Ugandan police have consistently urged drivers to take extra care, but road accidents remain common.
The 2024 crime report noted a 6% increase in deadly crashes from the previous year, documenting 4,434 fatal collisions and 5,144 deaths.
In April this year, 10 people died in western Uganda after a bus lost control and overturned on a busy highway, and in August, some 20 traders were killed after their truck overturned.
Only last year, 26 people were killed after a truck overturned, burst into flames, and exploded on the same Kampala-Gulu highway.
Two years ago, 21 people died and 49 were injured in a bus crash on the Kenya-Uganda border in January, just days after a passenger bus rammed into a stationary truck, killing 16.
Source: YEN.com.gh
