A passenger bus has this morning caught fire in Buwama town along the Kampala – Masaka highway.
The bus belonging to Perfect Coaches Company, registration number UAL 883Z, was coming from Rukungiri district and heading to Kampala city.
According to eyewitnesses, the bus had been parked at a police checkpoint near Buwama police station and an elementary school when the fire broke out.
Some of the passengers said the fire started from the engine and then spread to the other parts, destroying luggage and merchandise worth millions of shillings. The Police, assisted by residents had tried to contain the fire in vain and according to the officer in charge of traffic at Buwama police station, Mr. Bedah Katureebe, some passengers sustained minor injuries from the blaze and further investigations on the cause of fire are underway.
A rescue team had to wait for a fire truck from Kampala but when it reached Kammengo trading center on its way to the scene, it developed a mechanical problem so police called for another one which arrived at 7:00am.
According to officer in charge of Buwama police station, Mr. Joseph Ayiki, Katonga, the region has fire brigade unit, but has no fire truck which often slows down rescue efforts.
“The truck we had was destroyed in an accident recently, so we need a new one to avoid fire accidents in our region that covers almost three districts of Mpigi, Butambala and Gomba,” he said.
Upon interrogation, the driver, Mr. Patson Byaruhanga said it could be short circuit in the engine that caused the accident. Other observers on the scene said it could have caused by many jerricans of waragi(a local brew) that were on board.
Meanwhile, the police have discovered the body of a two-month old baby in a small suitcase that was on board but has failed to discover the owner. It was taken to Mulago Hospital mortuary for postmortem.
Story By Sadat Mbogo
