Five killed as thieves ambush night bus

Dec 16, 2009

FIVE people died in an accident on Wednesday morning on the Mbarara-Kabale road in Ntungamo district. The bus, which came from Kampala and was heading to Kisoro, was ambushed by suspected robbers who blockaded the road with big stones.

By Fred Turyakira
and Abdulkarim Ssengendo

FIVE people died in an accident on Wednesday morning on the Mbarara-Kabale road in Ntungamo district.

The bus, which came from Kampala and was heading to Kisoro, was ambushed by suspected robbers who blockaded the road with big stones.

The speeding bus hit the stones and overturned, according to the Ntungamo district Police boss, Edgar Nyabongo.
After the bus overturned, the thugs robbed the passengers of their belongings and fled.

The Police identified the dead as Deus Arinaitwe, a lecturer at Uganda College of Commerce in Kabale, John Kanama, the driver of the bus and his conductor, Emmanuel Kwizera.

The other deceased were 16-year-old Divine Akiba from Kisoro and an unidentified man from Kisoro.

The accident also left 20 passengers seriously injured. They were rushed to Itojo hospital for treatment.

Nyabongo said the bus belonged to Bismarkan Coaches Company. The accident took place at 3:00am in Omukidebe between Pearl Flowers and Rubaare town. The Police are still hunting for those who blocked the road and robbed the passengers.

“Some female passengers were also reportedly raped but the Police have not yet confirmed that,” Nyabongo added.
He called upon bus operators to ask for an armed Police officer when moving at night.

“In this Christmas period, we expect a lot of robbers targeting vehicles moving at night. Drivers need to move with a security person to ensure the safety of the passengers,” Nyabongo said.

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