Wednesday , November 6 2024

4 dead, 6 injured in Luwero accident

Wreckage of the taxi being transferred to Luwero Central Police Station on Wednesday morning

Luwero, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Four people have died and six others were critically injured in an accident in Luwero town council along the Kampala-Gulu highway.

The accident which occurred at around 5:00 am on Wednesday involved a taxi registration number UBG 392L and an unidentified truck. The accident took place near Luwero High Court in Luwero town along the Kampala-Gulu highway.

Sam Twineamazima, the Savannah Regional Police Spokesperson explains that according to the eyewitness, the taxi which was heading to Kampala city from Gulu collided with a truck before it lost control and overturned in the trench along the highway.

Twineamazima added that four people including the driver Moses Kitaka, a resident of Wobulenzi town died on the spot and six others were critically injured.

Twineamazima says that Police rescued six passengers from the wreckage before they were evacuated to Luwero Hospital for treatment.  He adds that the bodies have also been transferred to the mortuary at Luwero Hospital.

The wreckage of the taxi was towed to Luwero Central Police Station as Police hunt for the driver of the truck that caused the accident.

Isaac Ssekayise a taxi conductor who survived the accident with minor injuries said he and the passengers were asleep by the time the accident occurred.

Ali Abiriga a resident said that the truck was connecting to the highway from a feeder road before it collided with the incoming taxi.

Dr Steven Magera the acting Medical superintendent of Luwero Hospital said that four of the six patients transferred to the facility had severe injuries and will be referred to Mulago Hospital.

“The two other patients are in stable condition but the four are in critical condition and we trying to make arrangements to evacuate them to Mulago referral hospital.’’ Dr Magera said.

At least 98 people were killed and 336 injured in road crashes across the country over the past seven days according to the statistics released by the Directorate of Traffic Police on Monday.

The breakdown of fatalities includes 20 pedestrians, 34 motorcyclists, and 44 passengers, either in vehicles or on motorcycles. Motorcycle accidents accounted for nearly half (48%) of the fatal accidents, while car accidents contributed 26%.

The recently released 2023 Police and Traffic Accident Report indicates a 35% increase in road crashes compared to the previous year.

*****

URN

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *