Summary:

• A fatal road accident in Bundibugyo District claimed at least five lives and left 35 others injured after a truck carrying mourners broke down, leading to a search for the fleeing driver, while other road accidents across Uganda resulted in a combined total of eight fatalities over the weekend.

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A fatal road accident has claimed the lives of at least five mourners, with an additional 35 individuals sustaining injuries, according to authorities.

The tragic incident unfolded when the truck transporting the mourners experienced a mechanical failure at Bugombwa Hill, along the Bundibugyo-Nyahuka Road in Bundibugyo District on Saturday.

Bundibugyo District’s traffic officer in charge, Salim Ajeti Musa, stated, “It had a mechanical problem and went off the road. The driver, identified only as Aramathan, is currently on the run, and efforts are underway to apprehend him.”

The ill-fated Isuzu Canter vehicle was carrying mourners who had attended a relative’s burial in Nyahuka Town Council and was en route back to Ntotoro Sub-county in Bundibugyo District.

Police identified the deceased as Federesi Badhedwa (31 years), Godwin Amanya (18 years), Moreen Asiimwe (23 years), Rhoda Thungu (46 years), Tom, and Bahemuka (36 years).

Most of the injured are in critical condition and have been admitted to various hospitals within and outside the district.

Ajeti mentioned, “Although preliminary investigations point to a mechanical fault as the cause of the road crash, further investigations are underway.”

An accident survivor, Abudalla Ssemujju, shared his account with Examiner, explaining that he jumped off the speeding vehicle when it started malfunctioning, ultimately landing in a nearby bush.

As he recounted, “The vehicle started misbehaving after crossing the humps of Busaru Trading Center. There, we managed to climb the hill of Semuliki, but when we started ascending to Bundibugyo Town Council at Bugombwa Hill, I heard the driver struggling to put in gears, and all was in vain.”

“The vehicle ran at a terrible speed, and I jumped before it knocked the roadside and overturned. I survived with minor injuries,” he added.

As of the report, the bodies of the deceased remained at Bundibugyo Hospital mortuary, awaiting post-mortem examinations.

Over a two-day period between Friday and Saturday, Ugandan authorities reported a total of eight fatalities resulting from road accidents in various locations, including Hoima City (1), Ntungamo District (1), Kabale District (1), and Bundibugyo District (5).