5 dead, 7 injured after truck transporting cattle crashes on Soroti-Mbale highway

At least five people are confirmed dead while seven others are admitted at Soroti regional referral hospital after a Fuso truck transporting cattle from Kotido District veered off the Soroti –Mbale highway and plunged into Awoja swamp on Wednesday night.

By 10:30pm, Soroti police had managed to retrieve bodies of the victims from the shallow water, while at least 10 carcasses of cattle remained lying in the water following the 9:30pm road crash at the dreaded sharp bend near River Awoja. The truck had 18 people onboard.

Mr Hammed Kizza, one of the survivors who was seated in the co- driver’s seat at the time of the crash attributed it to reckless driving.
“I kept pleading with our driver not to over speed because the truck we were using is old but he never took heed,” Mr Kizza said.

He said five of his fellow cattle traders from a business trip Kotido died on the spot while the survivors were evacuated from the scene by the Soroti regional referral hospital medical workers at around 10 pm. Read more here.