42 Killed In Car Crash
Feb 15, 2004
A PUNGENT smell of burnt human flesh filled the air. Charred bodies, some with skulls exposing what are supposed to be brains were at the road side.
By Steven Candia
and Nicholas Kajoba
A PUNGENT smell of burnt human flesh filled the air. Charred bodies, some with skulls exposing what are supposed to be brains were at the road side.
The mangled shell of a trailer and mini bus with glass and metal strewn all over sums up yet another nasty road accident.
As the country got lost in a show of love on Valentines day, at least 42 people were incinerated in a gory road accident at Lwankima in Mabira forest at 7:00 pm on Saturday.
police described it as one of the worst carnage ever on the Kampala-Jinja highway. For four hours yesterday, police backed by area residents went up and down the escarpment and appeared with yet another body as the death toll shot up.
There were conflicting reports about how the accident occurred but residents and the police said death struck when the Mercedes Benz semi-trailer registration number KAM 205 l/ZB 649L ran over a Suzuki vehicle registration number 851 UCE as it tried to overtake the minibus.
Immediately after colliding with the Suzuki, the driver lost control of the lorry as the cabin detached itself from tanker. It hit the coaster, before both of them plunged into a five-metre escarpment as the tanker continued on its own down the road before overturning.
Two occupants of the Suzuki were crushed to pulp but a woman and a baby boy miraculously survived and were rushed to Kawolo hospital . The trailer loaded with about 60,000 litres of diesel and Kerosene was heading for Kampala while the minibus and the Suzuki were heading towards Jinja from Lugazi at the time of the crash at the top of a hill.
“There were two loud bangs and when we rushed to the scene what we saw was unbelievable,†a grief-stricken resident said.
But the residents talked of a painful death for the victims who they said were trapped in the wreckage for some time before the vehicles went up in flames.
“They cried out for help from where they had been trapped, we tried our best and even called the fire brigade but the vehicles went up in flames shortly after. The fire brigade from Jinja arrived at about 9:00pm,†another eyewitness said yesterday.
The fire burnt with fury. It destroyed a vast area of vegetation and even brought down a few huge trees.
Police had to spend the night at the scene to keep off residents who were determined to cash in on the tragedy.
Speaking from the accident scene as the retrieve operation went on, Mukono traffic chief, James Mukooli, said the deceased included 24 men, seven women and nine children.
Most of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition but police identified 11 of the victims of the inferno, which included two UPDF soldiers.
The dead included Majidu Kiwule of Bungokho Mbale district, Hakim Wangwe of Bumboi, Bashir Mafabi of Budadiri sub-county, the turn-boy of the lorry Osman Mohammad, the lorry driver Abudulnoor Mohammad, Balunywa A of Jinja Modern SSS and Wasswa R of Luweero.
Others were Pte Tizibwa George attached to the 19th battalion, Acowa, Katakwi district, another soldier Bernard Bwambale, also in military fatigue, Majid Kiwule of Bungokho, Mbale, Francis Dyogo of J Rianer Modern Secondary School and Abdul Okoba of Lwakhaka, Mbale who was found with what was perceived to be a talisman in his socks.
But as the recovery operation went on some residents were seen about 50 metres from the tragic scene taking away fuel, which they trapped in 20-litre jerrycans.
At least 40 bodies had been pulled out of the wreckage by 1.00pm yesterday.
Two more bodies remained tapped beneath the wreckage.
Ends
and Nicholas Kajoba
A PUNGENT smell of burnt human flesh filled the air. Charred bodies, some with skulls exposing what are supposed to be brains were at the road side.
The mangled shell of a trailer and mini bus with glass and metal strewn all over sums up yet another nasty road accident.
As the country got lost in a show of love on Valentines day, at least 42 people were incinerated in a gory road accident at Lwankima in Mabira forest at 7:00 pm on Saturday.
police described it as one of the worst carnage ever on the Kampala-Jinja highway. For four hours yesterday, police backed by area residents went up and down the escarpment and appeared with yet another body as the death toll shot up.
There were conflicting reports about how the accident occurred but residents and the police said death struck when the Mercedes Benz semi-trailer registration number KAM 205 l/ZB 649L ran over a Suzuki vehicle registration number 851 UCE as it tried to overtake the minibus.
Immediately after colliding with the Suzuki, the driver lost control of the lorry as the cabin detached itself from tanker. It hit the coaster, before both of them plunged into a five-metre escarpment as the tanker continued on its own down the road before overturning.
Two occupants of the Suzuki were crushed to pulp but a woman and a baby boy miraculously survived and were rushed to Kawolo hospital . The trailer loaded with about 60,000 litres of diesel and Kerosene was heading for Kampala while the minibus and the Suzuki were heading towards Jinja from Lugazi at the time of the crash at the top of a hill.
“There were two loud bangs and when we rushed to the scene what we saw was unbelievable,†a grief-stricken resident said.
But the residents talked of a painful death for the victims who they said were trapped in the wreckage for some time before the vehicles went up in flames.
“They cried out for help from where they had been trapped, we tried our best and even called the fire brigade but the vehicles went up in flames shortly after. The fire brigade from Jinja arrived at about 9:00pm,†another eyewitness said yesterday.
The fire burnt with fury. It destroyed a vast area of vegetation and even brought down a few huge trees.
Police had to spend the night at the scene to keep off residents who were determined to cash in on the tragedy.
Speaking from the accident scene as the retrieve operation went on, Mukono traffic chief, James Mukooli, said the deceased included 24 men, seven women and nine children.
Most of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition but police identified 11 of the victims of the inferno, which included two UPDF soldiers.
The dead included Majidu Kiwule of Bungokho Mbale district, Hakim Wangwe of Bumboi, Bashir Mafabi of Budadiri sub-county, the turn-boy of the lorry Osman Mohammad, the lorry driver Abudulnoor Mohammad, Balunywa A of Jinja Modern SSS and Wasswa R of Luweero.
Others were Pte Tizibwa George attached to the 19th battalion, Acowa, Katakwi district, another soldier Bernard Bwambale, also in military fatigue, Majid Kiwule of Bungokho, Mbale, Francis Dyogo of J Rianer Modern Secondary School and Abdul Okoba of Lwakhaka, Mbale who was found with what was perceived to be a talisman in his socks.
But as the recovery operation went on some residents were seen about 50 metres from the tragic scene taking away fuel, which they trapped in 20-litre jerrycans.
At least 40 bodies had been pulled out of the wreckage by 1.00pm yesterday.
Two more bodies remained tapped beneath the wreckage.
Ends