BUIKWE (Uganda), May 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Police said that three people died and 30 others were hospitalised with serious injuries following a Monday evening bus crash on the Katosi-Nyenga Road in Buikwe District.
However, there are fears that the number of fatalities could be higher as detectives are still verifying the number of passengers who were on board.
Ssezibwa Region Police Spokesperson, Hellen Butoto said that the three people were burnt beyond recognition after the Scania bus belonging to YY Coaches overturned and burst into flames after the driver lost control when he tried to dodge hitting a boda boda rider who was crossing the road.
“The injured are receiving treatment at Kawolo General Hospital and St. Charles Lwanga Hospital in Buikwe District,” she said.
Butoto said that confirming the number of fatalities was challenging initially, as police were gathering information from the bus company about the number of passengers on board.
According to her, “The unidentified bodies were taken to Kawolo General Hospital mortuary, as investigations about the particulars are ongoing.”
Butoto said the injured included 10 male adults, 14 female adults, 2 male juveniles, and 4 female juveniles.
Eyewitnesses said the Mbale-bound bus transporting an unknown number of passengers from Kampala overturned and caught fire near Makindu Village Trading Centre in Najja sub-county in Buikwe District.
Moses Katongole attributed the crash to poor planning, citing the narrow road constructed as an alternative route to reduce traffic between Kampala and Jinja.
He noted that over the past two years, the road has increasingly become congested with heavy trucks.
“This road needs to be expanded, especially around trading centers, with speed humps and signage to alert motorists, because the area has become a black spot for accidents,” he said.
One of the boda boda riders in the area, Rashid Kazibwe, attributed the road’s narrowness to the government’s reluctance to compensate landowners for acquiring more land to construct wider roads, unlike other parts of the country. — NNN-AGENCIES