Sixty-three people have been killed and several others injured in a road accident involving a bus along Kampala–Gulu Highway in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.
The incident, which occurred at 12:15 AM today, was confirmed by SP Kananura Michael, CLO/PRO Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety.
The crash involved four vehicles: an Isuzu bus (UBF 614X, Nile Star Coaches), a Toyota Surf (CGO 5132AB 07), a Tata Lorry (UBK 647C), and another Isuzu bus (UAM 045V, Planet Company).
According to preliminary investigations, the driver of the Nile Star Coaches bus, traveling from Kampala towards Gulu, attempted to overtake the Tata Lorry. Concurrently, the Planet Company bus, moving in the opposite direction, was overtaking the Toyota Surf.
The simultaneous overtaking maneuvers led to a head-on collision between the two buses.
SP Kananura stated, “One driver swerved to avoid the collision, but this triggered a chain reaction, resulting in a head-on and side impact. The vehicles lost control, overturning multiple times.”
The devastating crash claimed the lives of all 63 occupants across the involved vehicles, with several others sustaining serious injuries. Emergency response teams promptly arrived at the scene, evacuating the injured to Kiryandongo Hospital and nearby medical facilities for treatment.
SP Kananura said bodies of the deceased were transported to Kiryandongo Hospital’s mortuary for post-mortem examinations and identification.
The Uganda Police Force continues its investigation into the incident and urges motorists to exercise extreme caution, particularly avoiding dangerous overtaking maneuvers, which are a leading cause of road fatalities nationwide.
The Police has extended its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and wishes the injured victims a speedy recovery.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and wish a speedy recovery to those injured,” SP Kananura added.
