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16-year-old boy dies in Manafwa road crash, 117 injured
Residents gather at the scene of the accident along Manafwa-Mbale road on Tuesday night. PHOTO | POLICE PRESS
Police is investigating the cause of a fatal road crash that happened along Manafwa-Mbale road on Tuesday night, killing a 16-year-old boy and injuring over 100 people.
According to Mr Michael Kananura, the traffic police spokesperson, the crash involved a Tata lorry belong to Bukusu Corporative Enterprise Limited which was transporting students from Nakhupa Primary School.
"It is alleged that the driver of the Tata Lorry, identified as Godmas Mamai, was transporting students from Nakhupa Primary School, while traveling at high speed, the vehicle lost control at Kufu along the Manafwa-Mbale Road and overturned," Mr Kananura on Wednesday.
"This unfortunate incident claimed the life of a 16-year-old pupil male juvenile, Thomas Naminayi on the spot and 117 others sustained injuries," he added.
He explained that the injured pupils are currently receiving medical attention at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital while the deceased's body was also conveyed to the same hospital for postmortem examination.
Police also noted that the driver of the vehicle is still at large while the wreckage has been towed to Manafwa Police Station pending thorough inspection.
"We would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that trucks are not designed to transport passengers. Such accidents highlight the importance of adhering to safety regulations and guidelines," Mr Kananura cautioned.
Last week, police registered 405 accidents where 99 people died in 79 fatal road crashes in one week. This week, Police issued new directives where errant drivers will be arrested and charged in the courts of law rather than issuing them with express penalty tickets.
