8 Dead, 31 Injured In Weekend Accidents On Gulu-Juba Road

Eight people have died and 33 others are injured in three different motor accidents that happened along Gulu-Juba road on Saturday.

 

Some of the deceased were identified as Yoram Nyonyi, James Tombe Rulanyah, and Charles Luwa all South Sudan nationals while identities of others were not immediately ascertained.

 

Of the 31 people who were injured, 8 are Ugandans,1 Kenyan and the rest are South Sudanese. They were rushed to Lacor Hospital and Atiak Health Centre IV.

 

In the first accident, a Fuso truck Registration Number UAR 077C travelling from Mbale district and heading to Juba overturned at Atiak Trading Centre in Amuru district on Saturday morning killing one person and injuring four others.

 

In a separate incident, a Bakulu Bus registration Number UAN 281Z was involved in a head-on collision with a Toyota Land cruiser registration number NE02914RSS at Pageri village in Lugono, in South Sudan. Two people were killed while two others sustained injuries. The bus was travelling from Juba to Kampala when the accident occurred at 9am.

 

Another Bus, Baby Coach with registration Number UAS 039M was also involved in a head-on collision at Gordon Hill in South Sudan at 8:30am while overtaking a truck. Two people died while 23 others sustained injuries.  

 

Still on the same road, a Toyota Noah registration number CE031AG overturned killing three people and injuring four others. Aswa regional Police Spokesperson, Patrick Jimmy Okema, attributed the accidents to over speeding.

 

Six ambulances belonging to the Ugandan army—UPDF, Southern Sudan, police and Gulu hospital were rushed to the scene to aid the victims.

 

Okema, said since the construction of the Gulu-Juba road, many drivers have taken advantage of the good state of the road to drive recklessly thus leading to many cases of motor accidents along the highway.

 

Twelve days ago, the director of traffic and road safety in the Uganda Police Force, Dr. Steven Kasiima, directed that bus drivers will not be allowed to drive over 300km a day following several bus accidents cases within the country.

 

Up to 200 bus drivers failed assessment tests carried by the police in Kampala last week. The assessment came just days after cases of bus accidents were reported on almost all the major highways.