KIRUHURA, UGANDA – At least eight people have been confirmed dead, and one person is fighting for life in hospital following a gruesome head-on collision along the Mbarara-Lyantonde highway on Friday evening.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Rwizi Regional Police Spokesperson, SP Samson Kasasira, confirmed the incident, stating that the accident occurred at around 6:30 pm at Kibega 1 village.
According to police, the crash involved a white Toyota Hiace commuter taxi (UBQ 016U) and a Mercedes-Benz Actros trailer (KDQ 668L/ZH 5133).
Kasasira stated that preliminary investigations indicate that the taxi was traveling from Mbarara to Lyantonde while the trailer was heading in the opposite direction.
According to the police spokesperson, the taxi driver lost control after overtaking from a corner, colliding with an oncoming trailer in its lane.
“The Toyota Hiace driver overtook from a corner and ended up colliding with the trailer that was coming from the opposite direction in its lane,” SP Kasasira stated.
The catastrophic impact instantly killed all eight occupants of the taxi and left the vehicle wrecked, while the sole survivor was rushed to Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital for treatment.
Rescue teams faced the grim task of retrieving four bodies still trapped inside the wrecked vehicle at the scene, with efforts underway to retrieve them in an ongoing operation.
Kasasira added that police have launched efforts to identify the deceased, noting that the process is still underway as they work to notify the families of the victims.
Police attributed the accident to reckless driving. Traffic along the busy highway was temporarily disrupted, and motorists were advised to exercise caution on corners.
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