Five family members killed in Kyazanga accident

PIC: What a loss! (Courtesy photo)

ACCIDENT

Five members of the same family were killed on spot in a crash involving three vehicles along the Masaka-Mbarara highway near Kyazanga town in Lwengo district.

The dead included a father and his children.

Lamech Kigozi, the Police spokesman for Greater Masaka, said the accident occurred at about 9:30pm on Sunday.

It involved a Rwandan-registered land cruiser (RAD009L), which was carrying seven people.

Those who were killed are Dr. Livingstone Kimbugwe Byamungu and his four children, including twins. His car, moving from Rwanda, collided with a trailer.

The accident also involved a Swift Safaris bus (UAU 398M)m which was moving from Mbarara to Kampala.

According to Kigozi, two occupants of the car who survived were rushed to a nearby health centre and were later moved to Masaka Referral Hospital. The bodies were also taken to the same facility.

The trailer driver, Alex Kakande, sustained a broken arm.

Police have revisited the scene to ascertain the cause of the accident.

George William Kobu, an employee of Radio Buddu, said his brother Byamungu was traveling with his children to Karumaga in Lwabenge, Kalungu East to celebrate the New Year with his mother. 

The dead children were identified as twins Calvin Ngabo and Caleb Nziza, aged 18, young brother Manzi Kaaru and little sister Blessing Chelsea Owera.

Their mother, Dorcus Mugakatare and her brother Richard Ndahiro (who was driving) survived and were transferred to International Hospital of Kampala (IHK).

The twins were studying at St. Mary's SS Kitende and were going to visit their grandmother Sarah Kitegyeki.

Eye witnesses said the driver of the trailer lost control, leading the vehicle to overturn and ram into the land cruiser V8 and a bus.

Mike Kakande, a niece of Byamungu, said the mother couldn't recall what happened and by the time she was transferred to Kampala, she was conscious but did not know what had happened to the rest.

Funeral vehicles from Kampala were hired to take the bodies back to Rwanda for burial. Other sources indicated that one of the twins had transferred from St. Mary's Kitende to Rivera SS in the Rwandan capital Kigali.