Five killed in another Masaka road accident
Some of the residents seen at the accident scene. Photos by Sadat Mbogo
KALUNGU. At least five people including Kalungu District traffic police chief have been confirmed dead and 60 others injured after six vehicles were Sunday morning involved in an accident at Mukoko village, Bukulula in Kalungu District along the Kampala-Masaka highway.
Mr Hassan Ssekalema, the officer in charge of traffic and road safety in Masaka District identified the deceased officer as Inspector of Police Deogratius Kweyamba, who has been the District Traffic Officer in Kalungu District.
One of the buses involved at the accident scene
Details of the other victims were still scanty by press time.
“The accident was caused by reckless driving,” Mr Ssekalema said.
The nasty accident which occurred at around 4:00am involved two buses; a Jaguar registration number UAT 728F that was coming from Kampala heading to Kigali in Rwanda and a Volcano registration number RAD 793B heading to Kampala.
Mr Ssekalema said the dead officer was guiding traffic at the accident scene when he got knocked by speeding Fuso truck registration number UAT 262T carrying cement and died on spot.
“He was with one of our colleagues Sgt Kiiza, a detective attached to Bukulula police post who was seriously injured,” he added.
Some of the survivors and residents standing next to the Jaguar bus that was involved in the accident
Other vehicles involved in the accident included a trailer, a Double Cabin registration number UAD 712Z and a Fuso carrying Riham sodas registration number UAV 860B.
“All these vehicles collided due to over speeding,” Mr Ssekalema said.
Meanwhile, antiriot police used teargas to disperse residents who were trying to rob the accident victims.
“He (the Deceased police officer) called me on phone to come and help him because he couldn’t manage the situation [at the accident scene] by then. But before reaching the scene, I got another call from another policeman that the car had killed my friend. I will miss him. He mentored me and he is the one who encouraged me to join the police force,” a vividly helpless Ssekalema added.
All wreckages of the vehicles were towed to Masaka Central Police Station while the bodies of the deceased and the injured persons were taken to Masaka Regional Referral Hospital for autopsy and treatment respectively.
The body of the deceased traffic officer under one of the cars involved in the accident. Courtesy photo
Death on Masaka Rd
Accidents on Kampala –Masaka highway have claimed about 30 lives in the past two week. Police statistics show that at least 200 people have been killed and nearly double that number has been injured in road accidents on Kampala-Masaka highway in the last six months.
Most accidents happened at a section between Nsangi in Wakiso District and Lwera in Kalungu District, where 96 people lost their lives in motor accidents. The section between Lwera and Masaka Town came second with 79 deaths. The section between Nsangi and Kampala city recorded the rest of the deaths.
