Eight killed in accident

The Kampala-bound bus also left about 20 others admitted with injuries.

Mbarara

Eight people, including five children, died on the spot and 23 others admitted to hospitals around Mbarara town when a speeding bus veered off the road near Sanga Town, about 35 kilometres from Mbarara town.

Witnesses said the incident happened at about 11am after the bus went off the road as it tried to avoid a head-on collision with a small car that was coming from the opposite direction. Residents from nearby villages and those travelling gathered in shock while police and volunteers broke their way into the bus using axes to remove stuck bodies.

A man who was travelling with his family reportedly appeared to have run mad after he was pulled out of the wreckage and could not immediately trace his people, thinking that they had perished. The regional traffic officer, Mr Donansiano Opwonya, said the accident was caused by speeding.
The driver of the bus is reported to have fled from the scene.

The 20 people, who were taken to Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, however, could not find space in the small emergency ward. “We have only 13 beds in this ward and we have been left with no option but to attend to the casualities from under the shade,” Ms Harriet Nabulo, the in-charge of the emergency ward, said.

Reports show that his year, five fatal accidents have happened on roads in southwestern Uganda, especially in Mbarara, Ntungamo and Kabale.

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