Five dead, four hospitalised in Kiryandongo road accident

TRANSPORT AND SAFETY

KIRYANDONGO- Five people are confirmed dead and four others critically injured following an accident in Kiryandongo district on Saturday night.

The accident occurred along Gulu-Kampala highway when a taxi registration number UAY 648T, which was moving from northern Uganda heading to Kampala, rammed into a stationed Trailer registration number UAP 370L of SSD-437D.

Julius Allan Hakiza, the Albertine region police spokesperson told New Vision on Sunday by phone that the accident occurred at Chepelwo trading centre, Kibanda North, Kiryabndongo district at 9:00pm.

 Hakiza identified the deceased as Fredrick Sunde, a resident of Kawempe in Kampala, Joseph Adepo from Mukono district and an employee working with National Forestry Authority (NFA) and Tommy Ojoko, a resident Kawoko in Mutunde sub-county Kiryandongo District.

 Others are Ilario, 50, a resident of Kigoma village in Kiryandongo District while the fifth was not identified by press time.

 Those injured are Vicky Auma, a resident of Kisura village in Kiryandongo district, Ronald Waswa, the taxi driver, Patrick Opio, a resident of Dokolo district and Benson Asisi hailing from Arua district. They were by press time still admitted at Kiryandongio district health facility.

 Hakiiza said the trailer had parked on the roadside after developing a mechanical breakdown when the taxi which was heading to Kampala at a high speed rammed into it.

 Hakiiza blames the cause of the accident on reckless driving by the taxi driver.

 Accidents on Kampala-Gulu high way are common. In December last year, five people died on spot after a bus collided with a Prado car. In January this year, two foreign nationals died in a road accident on Kampala - Gulu highway.