Police probes Kampala-Kasese Post Bus fire

People gather around the burnt bus in Hima. Photos by John Thawite

Police in Kasese is investigating the cause of a dawn fire that destroyed a Kampala-Kasese-bound Post Bus company bus that was carrying about 70 passengers. The passengers narrowly survived death.

Property worth unspecified millions of shillings said to have been purchased for domestic use and for sale over the festive Christmas season was destroyed as the bus, UAP 735U, which was also burnt beyond repair.

Hima division Police commander, ASP Sam Suubi, said the bus caught fire around 5:00am on Sunday as the bus was cruising downhill to Hima town, about 15km to Kasese Municipality.

Suubi said the exact cause of the fire was still being investigated and that the driver and some of the passengers had made statements to his station.

"Some of the passengers say they had warned the driver that something seemed not right before the bus arrived in Hima, but that he had not heeded their complaints," Suubi said yesterday.

The fire

By the time the Police Fire Brigade arrived, the raging fire had badly damaged the bus and destroyed a lot of property, which included plastics, hair and body lotions and other highly flammable items.

Suubi said it took about 40 minutes to extinguish the fire and that some property was saved.

The bus burning in Hima town

When New Vision arrived at the scene, helpless crowds swarmed by as the Police tried to restrain them from jamming the sooty highway.

Affected

One of the affected passengers could be seen weeping in a car that had arrived to pick him after he had lost his merchandise in the inferno.

Another affected passenger was prominent Kasese business woman, Biira Mutoro, who said she had sent for goods worth sh2.6m, some of which survived the fire.

"I had sent a colleague to bring me various fabrics, By God's grace, the Fire Brigade managed to save some of the items.  When I rushed to the scene and saw the extent of the damage and how the passengers had survived, I think I can only thank God for the miracle," she said.

Vincent Masereka, a trader from the Kasese Municipality main market locally known as Kasindi, said he had lost items worth sh27m.