Rubirizi inferno victims buried in mass grave

The remains of the Kyambura inferno victims were on Friday laid to rest in a mass grave at Kyambura Mosque in Kyambura trading center, Kichwamba Sub County in Rubirizi District.

The deceased were killed on August 18, 2019 after a fuel tanker lost control after failing to negotiate a corner and knocked several vehicles in Kyambura Village, Rubirizi District. The accident immediately sparked a fire that spread to nearby shops and residential houses.
Police confirmed that at least 20 people died.

However, only eight victims were identified and police handed them to their respective relatives for burial, remaining with 12 unclaimed bodies which were buried on Friday.

Mr Andrew Mubiru, the Director of Forensics in Uganda Police Force told hundreds of mourners that the casket laid in the mass grave contains a complete body that was never identified, four separate body parts and ashes of some of the victims. He said those buried in the mass grave couldn’t be identified perhaps because their blood relatives didn’t provide blood samples from them to match the DNA.

“I appeal to any persons that could think their relatives might have died in the inferno to move to police so that their samples are taken for profiling to ascertain if indeed that person is among those that have been buried in the mass grave,” Mr Mubiru said.

Mr Broadis Kazoora, the LC III chairperson Kichwamba Sub County appealed to government to expedite the hunt for the owner for the tanker that caused the accident such that the victims can be compensated.

President Museveni in August announced that government would give Shs5m to each family that lost their loved ones, while survivors would each receive Shs1m. Those whose shops and household items were destroyed, Mr Museveni said, would also be helped.

At least fifteen people were injured in the inferno. Museveni tasked police to look for the company, which owned the truck to compensate the affected persons.

Rubirizi Resident District Commissioner, Harriet Nakamya, appealed to the office of the Inspector General of Police to engage their counter parts in Kenya such that they trace the company that owned the fuel tanker and have the victims compensated.

The fuel tanker that caused the inferno was coming from Eldoret in Kenya destined for Butembo in the Democratic Republic of Congo.