By Fahad Malik Jjingo
At least seven people have been confirmed dead in an early morning road crash in Lwengo District. A Kabale-bound bus collided with a truck on the Mbarara-Masaka road, leaving over thirty people injured.
The deceased, who are yet to be identified, were reportedly traveling from Kabale to Kampala at the time of the crash which occurred around 4 AM at Kilumba in Kyazanga Rural Sub-county. A speeding bus belonging to Gateway Bus Company, registration number UBQ 621Z, collided with a Fuso truck, registration number UBM 673K, carrying maize flour. Six people died instantly, and another succumbed to injuries shortly after being rushed to a private clinic.
Eyewitnesses say the bus driver, en route from Kabale to Kampala, was driving recklessly when he collided with the truck heading from Kampala to Mbarara.
Richard Ssekitoleko, the Kilumba village chairperson, said over 20 people were rushed to Joy for Humanity Clinic in Kyazanga for treatment. Due to the severity of some injuries, patients were transferred to Masaka Regional Referral Hospital.
“Majority of the passengers on board sustained various injuries while occupants of the truck also suffered multiple injuries, including fractured legs and arms,” Mr Richard Ssekitoleko, an eyewitness and chairperson of Kirumba village said.
Locals who came to the aid of the victims reported that many survivors suffered fractures. They blamed the crash on reckless driving.
Uganda Red Cross Society teams and locals transported victims to hospitals in Lwengo, Lyantonde, and Masaka. Investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing.
