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KAGADI - A road crash involving a silver fish-laden truck and a taxi has claimed the lives of 16 people on the Kagadi-Kyenjojo highway in Nyanseke-Muhorro town council, Kagadi district.

The crash between truck: UAD 431Q and taxi: UBM 426V has also left several others critically injured, all of whom are reported to have been returning from a burial.

Acting Kagadi traffic officer Alex Akampulira says the taxi that was heading to Kagadi from Fort Portal at about 7:30pm on Sunday, collided head-on with the truck heading to Kyenjojo near Muziizi bridge.

Akampulira attributed the accident to the loss of control by the truck driver after failing to brake. As a result of the mechanical breakdown, the truck ended up crashing into the taxi that was heading in the opposite direction.

Most of the deceased, including taxi driver Henry Acaali, were residents of Kagadi town council and were coming from a burial in Fort-Portal city.

However, by press time, the rest of the victims had not yet been identified.

Kyamutunzi town council mayor Mustafa Maliiro said several crashes that have claimed peoples lives have happened in the same black spot. 

Five survivors

Kagadi district Police commander Patrick Opiyo said the bodies of the deceased have been taken to Kagadi Hospital mortuary. 

He added that the five survivors are admitted to Muhorro community health centre and Kagadi Hospital.

He revealed that out of the five people who survived only one person was from the taxi while the remaining four were occupants of the truck.