Nine dead as minivan collides with fuel tanker on Masaka-Mbarara road
Combo: The wreckage of the vehicles that collided along Masaka-Mbarara road, killing nine people on the spot on April 7, 2023. PHOTOS/ COURTESY
What you need to know:
- The venue for Friday’s road crash is a renowned blackspot where about ten people perished in a deadly accident late December 2022.
At least nine people, including two children, died Friday following a road crash at a neglected blackspot along Masaka-Mbarara highway in Lwengo District in central Uganda.
The 4pm head-on collision at Kyoko Village involved an Alphard vehicle from Kampala headed towards Mbarara City and an oncoming fuel tanker on a climbing lane from Mbarara side.
The wreckage of one of the vehicles that was involved in the accident on April 7, 2023. PHOTO/GERTRUDE MUTYABA
Citing eyewitness accounts, traffic police Friday evening attributed the cause of the crash that left two other people injured, to reckless driving.
“The accident involved motor vehicle registration number UBL 314C an Alphard, that was traveling from Kampala side heading to Mbarara and motor vehicle registration number SSD 327S/SSD 137Q that was from Mbarara/Kinoni town. The two motor vehicles had a head on collision. Preliminary findings indicate that the Alphard driver was at high speed and was keeping right [instead of left]. The Alphard driver crashed head-on with the fuel tanker, killing nine people on spot,” said traffic police spokesperson, ASP Faridah Nampiima.
The wreckage of one of the vehicles that was involved in the accident on April 7, 2023. Police say the vehicle was headed towards the Masaka side from Kampala PHOTO/GERTRUDE MUTYABA
She said all the deceased were occupants of the ill-fated Alphard.
“The deceased include, seven adults and two juveniles. The driver of the fuel tanker and his turn man sustained injuries and were rushed for treatment to Masaka regional referral hospital. More inquiries into the incident are underway and more details will be availed in due course. We want to take this opportunity to warn all motorists traveling upcountry for Easter celebrations to drive carefully, avoid speeding, phone driving, drink-driving and all other road indiscipline that result into accidents,” ASP Nampiima added in a statement.
People watch as police retrieve bodies from the wreckage of a road crash in Lwengo District on April 7, 2023. PHOTO/GERTRUDE MUTYABA
The Friday crash scene is said to be a notorious blackspot where about 10 people perished in a similar manner in late December 2022.
“This place has been our black spot where we have registered many accidents and we have made many reports. It is a slope and a long curve of almost 300metres towards the swamp. So, there’s an element of speed in this area,” Greater Masaka regional traffic officer SP Richard Komaketch had earlier told journalists at the scene.
According to the Annual Crime Report 2022 which was released a month ago, the country registered 20,394 cases of road accidents in 2022 compared to 17,443 registered in 2021. The Police said that out of every 100 crashes, 22 people died while 61 per cent of all accidents were as a result of reckless driving, the police said.
