By Ivan Mwine
At least 16 people have been confirmed dead after a bus they were traveling on rammed into a stationary trailer on Thursday evening in Kamdni township, in Oyam district.
According SP Patrick Jimmy Okema, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) North Kyoga, the accident occurred after a bus registration number UAT 259P belonging to Roblyn Bus Company, which was traveling from Kampala to Gulu, rammed into a stationary trailer registration number UAZ 381A/UBD 318C at around midnight, along the Gulu-Kampala highway, killing 12 people on spot, while four died moments after reaching the Atapara Hospital.
“It’s alleged the trailer was loading at Adebe trading center just one kilometer to corner Kamdini checkpoint when the incident occurred,” Okema said.
He added that; “The identities of the deceased and the injured is yet to be established. Some of the victims remain in critical condition at Atapara Hospital where they are receiving treatment.”
He also revealed that the bodies were conveyed to Anyeke Health IV pending postmortem, noting that the cause of the accident is yet to be established, although preliminary findings indicate wrong parking by the trailer driver with no warning signs.
“It’s a very unfortunate incident. We call for calm from members of the public. Our condolences to the bereaved families,” Okema noted, revealing that the traffic police will provide more details after conducting investigations.
It should be noted that on Tuesday this week, the traffic police revealed that 104 road crashes were registered around the country between December 30, 2022 and January 1st.
A statement released by the Traffic Police spokesperson, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Faridah Nampiima, revealed that 28 of the accidents led to loss of lives.
According to Nampiima, of the said incidents that occurred between December 30, 2022 and January 1, 2023, 9 were serious accidents and 27 were minor.
She noted that out of 104 road crashes, the police registered 149 victims, 35 died and 114 sustained serious injuries, attributing the cause of the accidents to reckless driving, whereby 20 of them were fatal, 39 involved people who sustained serious injuries, while 17 of these were minor accidents.
