Kampala, Uganda — A minimum of 63 folks have been killed in an accident involving a number of automobiles on a freeway in western Uganda, police stated Wednesday. A number of others have been injured within the crash, police stated in a assertion on social media.
The accident occurred shortly after midnight native time on the freeway from Kampala, the capital, to Gulu, a serious metropolis in northern Uganda.
Two bus drivers getting into reverse instructions tried to move different automobiles and collided head-on, based on police. 4 automobiles have been concerned in all.
Uganda Police Power, on X
“One of many (bus) drivers swerved in an try to keep away from collision, however this resulted in a head-on and facet collision, inflicting a series response that led to different automobiles dropping management and overturning a number of instances,” the assertion continued.
“As investigations proceed, we strongly urge all motorists to train most warning on the roads, particularly avoiding harmful and careless overtaking, which stays one of many main causes of crashes within the nation,” police stated.
Deadly street crashes are widespread in Uganda, the place roads are sometimes slim. Police often blame such accidents on dashing drivers.
In August, a bus carrying mourners again dwelling from a funeral in southwestern Kenya overturned and plunged right into a ditch, killing no less than 25 folks and injuring a number of others.
The demise toll within the newest crash in Uganda is uncommonly excessive, stated Irene Nakasiita, a Pink Cross spokeswoman who described victims left bleeding and with damaged limbs. She stated the pictures from the scene have been too ugly to share.
“The magnitude of this incident is so large,” Nakasiita stated.
Whereas accident victims can anticipate to get assist from onlookers and different first responders who rush to crash websites, “at evening even bystanders will not be there,” she stated.
A lot of the injured individuals are receiving therapy at a authorities hospital close by.
In Uganda, 5,144 folks have been killed in street crashes in 2024. That quantity rose from 4,806 in 2023 and 4,534 in 2022, based on official police figures, which present a worrisome rise within the complete variety of these killed or injured in street crashes in recent times.
Careless overtaking and dashing accounted for 44.5% of all crashes documented in 2024, the police’s newest crime report stated.
