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One killed, 57 injured as bus overturns on Kampala–Masaka Highway
Locals gather around Kingo Bus after is overturned on December 8, 2023 in Masaka City. PHOTO/RICHARD KYANJO
What you need to know:
- About 15 of the 57 survivors are children. At least 3 youngsters and 15 adults suffered serious injuries.
At least one person has been confirmed dead and 57 others injured after a bus they were travelling in overturned at Kabale-Bugonzi Village in Masaka City along the Masaka-Kampala Highway.
Majority passengers suffered varying degrees of injuries including fractured legs and arms, according to eyewitnesses.
All the injured were rushed to Masaka Regional Referral Hospital.
Eyewitness Samson Joseph Ssekitto told Monitor that the bus belonging to Kingo Coaches Ltd was moving at high speed when it skidded off the road as it tried to overtake an unidentified trailer.
The accident occurred at about 2:30pm during downpour as the bus was travelling from Kampala to Mbarara City in Western Uganda.
“The surface was wet and the driver failed to control the bus as he tried to overtake a trailer in a sharp corner. Many occupants sustained injuries,” Ssekitto noted.
“He (bus driver) was speeding yet the road was wet following a downpour. He tried to control the bus, but failed,” he added.
By press time, police had not yet identified the deceased woman.
Jamada Wandera, the acting southern regional police spokesperson, said the driver of the bus took off immediately after the crash.
According to Wandera, 15 of the 57 survivors are children. At least 3 youngsters and 15 adults suffered serious injuries.
He said the bus could have overturned due to speeding by the driver.
“We are hunting for him [bus driver] to face the law,” he told journalists on Friday.
This bus crash comes a few weeks after police warned motorists against reckless driving ahead of Christmas festivities.
Kampala –Masaka Highway remains one of the accident-prone roads in the country, registering between 200 and 300 fatalities annually.
Some of the survivors and their age
-Carol Ninsiima,24
-Justus Arinaitwe,28
-Allen Nahabwe,45
-Francis Mwogera,50
-Francis Mworahye,24
-Sarah Kembabazi ,24
-Immaculate Nahamya,19
-Rogers Arinaitwe,21
-Roseline Rwashara, 27
-Anita Ashaba, 26
-Olivia Namulinde, 23
-Adrian Atwine,14
-Estina Nahwera,27
-Crispus Tukamushabe,27
