Road crashes claim 12 lives in a week in Fort Portal

Three separate road crashes occurred within a week in March, on a stretch of 55 kilometres from Fort Portal City to Kyenjojo District, claiming a total of 12 lives and injuring many others.

The first incident took place last Tuesday (March 5), at Mukunyu along the Kyenjojo-Fort Portal road. The crash resulted in the immediate death of six individuals, while two others succumbed to injuries on their way to the hospital while eight people are currently nursing critical wounds.

Mr Vincent Twesige, the Rwenzori West Police spokesperson, said this accident happened when a Fuso lorry failed to brake, and overturned multiple times before colliding with a stationary taxi.

"The driver failed to brake and collided with the taxi. The driver was recklessly speeding, even though the truck was not carrying any cargo. We questioned why it didn't stop in a trading centre where people were present,” he said.

On March 7, another tragic road crash occurred at Mukunyu, involving a truck carrying matooke from Fort Portal destined for Kampala. The incident resulted in the fatality of one occupant.

Mr Sam Katwire, a survivor, recounted that the crash occurred around 10.30 PM, when the driver of a lorry from Kampala, en route to Fort Portal, deviated from its lane into oncoming traffic which forced the driver of the lorry he (Katwire) was travelling in to veer off the road to avoid a head-on collision.

"The driver of the lorry struck the side mirror of our vehicle, leading our driver to lose control. In front of us, there was another stationary lorry. In an attempt to avoid it, our vehicle veered off the road, ultimately hitting the roadside trench and one person died on spot,” he said.

The third incident occurred on Monday, March 11 at Mpanga, opposite the police barracks a few meters from Mpanga market on the same Fort Portal-Kyenjojo Road.

The road crash left three male individuals travelling on a motorcycle dead after a vehicle heading to Kyenjojo struck the motorcycle from behind.

"The motorcycle was knocked from behind as they were all heading in the same direction, killing one male unidentified adult on the spot and injuring two other male unidentified adults who later died on their way to the hospital," Mr Twesige said.

Last week, the Rwenzori West Region Police Commander, Mr James Ruhwenza, expressed concern about the increasing number of road crash fatalities, stating that the region had lost a total of 28 people since the start of this year.

He highlighted the primary causes as reckless driving, speeding, and driving under the influence of alcohol.

The police annual crime report for 2023, revealed that the districts in the Rwenzori West region lost 175 people in separate road crashes last year.