By Liban Mohamed
Kampala, Uganda- A grisly road accident in central Uganda on Friday killed at least nine people including two children after two vehicles collided head-on.
The collision involving an Alphard vehicle traveling from Kampala to Mbarara City, and a fuel tanker coming from the Mbarara side on a climbing lane occurred at around 4pm at a notorious blackspot in Kyoko Village,
Two other individuals sustained injuries in the crash, which has been attributed to reckless driving, as reported by eyewitnesses and confirmed by traffic police.
ASP Faridah Nampiima, the spokesperson for traffic police, stated that preliminary findings indicate that the driver of the Alphard was speeding and driving on the right lane instead of the left, resulting in the fatal collision with the fuel tanker.
All of the deceased, consisting of seven adults and two juveniles, were passengers in the Alphard.
The driver of the fuel tanker and his assistant sustained injuries and were taken to Masaka regional referral hospital for treatment.
This particular stretch of the Masaka-Mbarara highway has been flagged as a notorious blackspot, with a similar crash occurring in late December 2022, resulting in the loss of approximately 10 lives.
SP Richard Komaketch, the Greater Masaka regional traffic officer, explained that the area is a slope with a long curve of approximately 300 meters leading to a swamp, and speeding has been identified as a contributing factor in accidents at this location.
The Annual Crime Report for 2022, released by the police just a month ago, revealed that Uganda recorded 20,394 cases of road accidents in 2022, compared to 17,443 in 2021.
Out of every 100 crashes, 22 resulted in fatalities, with reckless driving identified as the cause of 61 percent of all accidents.
ASP Nampiima urged motorists traveling for Easter celebrations to exercise caution, avoid speeding, distracted driving, drink-driving, and other forms of road indiscipline to prevent further accidents in light of this tragic incident.
Further inquiries into the incident are ongoing, and more details are expected to be revealed in due course.
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