At least six people have been confirmed dead and several others seriously injured following a fatal road crash involving a passenger bus and a truck in Kiryandongo District.
According to preliminary reports, the accident occurred at around 2 a.m. on Tuesday at California Village along the Gulu–Kampala highway when a bus belonging to Mega Bus Uganda collided head-on with a Sino truck.
The bus was travelling from Gulu City to Kampala at the time of the crash.
Reliable sources indicate that the deceased include the bus conductor and a toddler who was among the passengers travelling on the night bus.
A staff member from Mega Bus who spoke on condition of anonymity revealed that the bus had departed Gulu City shortly after midnight carrying 53 passengers.
Preliminary information further indicates that the driver of the bus, identified only as Kilama, fled the scene shortly after the collision and remains at large.
Emergency responders and local authorities rushed to the scene to rescue survivors and transport the injured to medical facilities.
The bodies of the deceased and several injured passengers were taken to Kiryandongo General Hospital where the injured are currently receiving treatment.
By press time, the Uganda Police Force had not yet issued an official statement explaining the cause of the crash.
The accident comes at a time when traffic authorities have intensified operations across the country following a rise in road crashes.
According to Michael Kananura, spokesperson of the Traffic Police, last week’s enforcement operations led to the arrest of 745 motorists for various traffic offences.
The most common offence recorded was driving defective motor cycles, commonly known as DMCs, which accounted for 330 cases.
Other offences included riding motorcycles without helmets with 99 cases, driving with invalid licences with 77 cases, operating without a driving licence with 72 cases, violation of traffic directions with 67 cases, illegal vehicle modifications with 53 cases and dangerous loading with 47 cases.
Kananura said traffic enforcement operations will continue as authorities work to improve safety and restore discipline on Ugandan roads.
Police have urged all motorists to observe traffic regulations in order to prevent accidents and avoid penalties during ongoing traffic enforcement operations.