Four die in Tororo road carnage

ACCIDENT|POLICE|RIVER MALABA

TORORO - Four people on Monday (November 23, 2020) evening died on spot after the taxi they were traveling in from Tororo to Busia veered off the bridge and plunged into river Malaba.

The Bukedi regional police commander Julius Ceaser Tusingwire said the driver of the taxi UAS 449S lost control on the bridge located in Kasipodo Village Kayoro Sub County Tororo district which has no barriers to guide the motorist.

Tusingwire said the deceased died due to drawing and were taken to Tororo hospital mortuary while the 9 passengers that were rescued were rushed to various hospitals in Tororo and Mbale for treatment.

Both the driver and the conductor escaped unhurt and have since gone into hiding after the 7.00 pm carnage.

Tusingwire blamed the driver for overloading and speeding adding that it's believed that driver was avoiding the traffic police officers at Tororo- Busitema main road and opted to pass through the murrum which he was not familiar with since he had not observed the standard operating procedure under COVID-19 prevention measures.

He appealed to the Uganda National Roads Authority to erect some barriers at the edge of the bridge and some signposts to guide the motorists.

James Opoya a resident in the area said the spot has become a black spot claiming several lives in the recent past. He said even two Umeme staff riding on a motorcycle died in the same spot.

Peter Owino said they heard of people screaming, forcing them to rush to the scene to rescue the survivors before the police arrived at the scene.