One dead, several injured after taxi tyre burst in Dokolo
People, including survivors are seen at the scene of the road crash in Agwata Sub County, Dokolo District on July 16, 2023. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Authorities say the passenger taxi overturned following the tyre burst, killing its driver on spot.
One person has been confirmed dead and several passengers severely injured in a single car road crash that occurred in Dokolo District on Sunday afternoon.
The Dokolo District Police Commander (DPC) Patience Baganzi confirmed the incident saying “the driver of the ill-fated taxi died when it lost control after the passenger vehicle’s tyre burst in the stretch of Agwata Forest on the Dokolo-Lira Highway at around 1pm.”
Authorities told this publication that the vehicle which was from Mbale City, headed to Lira City overturned- leading to the single fatality.
“The number of people injured is not yet ascertained. However, one person has been pronounced dead – that is the driver. The name is not yet known and the body is in Mbale City mortuary,” Baganzi told Monitor on the phone.
Dokolo Resident District Commissioner Barbara Akech noted that the driver of the 14-seater taxi was overtaking another vehicle at the time of the crash in Dokolo District’s Agwata Sub County.
“This particular stretch is in a corner and the road is very smooth, she observed.
However, she appeared to suggest that the area where the road crash occurred is an accident black spot.
“Just three days ago, we lost a retired head teacher at that same spot. The deceased was crossing the road when a speedy vehicle knocked him dead,” the RDC noted, adding “those injured in Sunday's crash were rushed to Dokolo Health Centre IV for proper care.”
