One student dies as fire breaks out in Busitema University

By Faustine Odeke

One student of Busitema University in Busia district has died as a result of excessive bleeding from a glass cut when fire broke out of their dormitory.

The fire that broke out at 2.00 am on Saturday  at James Ogola hostel forced the students to flee through the windows and in the process Yorakim Turyomusi a first year student of bachelor of Agro processing engineering was deeply cut by the glass on the left hand.

The university public relation officer Peace Balala said the fire broke out on the door entrance and caught up the curtain before it spread. It is suspected to have broken out as a result of short circuit caused by a number of illegal power connections in the dormitory.

Balala said the students who were first struggling to save their property later called in the university administrator to rush Turyomusi who was over bleeding and was crying out of pain to Tororo general hospital.

Dr Andrew Opete Tororo hospital medical superintendent said Turyomusi bled significantly to death because the major brachial artery and vein that supplies the blood from the heart to the arm had been cut off.

Opete said by the time body arrived at the hospital at 5.00am, he had already collapsed and the vessels were open wide with no blood coming out at the time. He said unfortunately Turyomusi wanted immediate surgical operation but electricity also went off at the same time.

University staff and students camped at the hospital in somber moods as they waited for the dean of students to arrive from Kampala to decide on how the body can be transported to Ntungamo for burial. Nabaho John Paul Ofiti a first year student of computer engineering blamed the problem to poor wiring system by the administration. He also blamed the administration for failure to respond in time due to lack of emergency vehicle to rush students to hospital.

The angry students went on rampage on Saturday morning where they attempted to block Tororo- Jinja high way. All the first year students demanded to accompany the body for the burial in Ntugamo district.

However the Busia district police commander Bob Kagarura said the students were merely standing along the main road at the gate to the university waiting for the body. He said there was no traffic flow that was interrupted along northern corridor adding that the situation was under control.

These is the second fire outbreak to occur in less than two weeks where students lives have been lost as a result of fire outbreak. On June 27th five pupils of Leo’s junior primary school Nyendo in Masaka were killed when fire gutted their dormitories.