By Bill Okech & Santo Ojok
At least 19 people have been confirmed dead and several others critically injured following a nasty road crash in Oyam District.
The accident occurred when a speeding bus reportedly rammed into a stationary trailer in Kamdini Town Council along the Kampala-Gulu highway on Thursday night.
North Kyoga regional police spokesperson, Patrick Jimmy Okema said 12 people died on spot while four others died from the hospital, taking the death tally to 16.
However, a source from St John Pope hospital, Aber sub-county in Oyam district, where the injured are admitted told Daily Monitor that the death toll had risen 19. He said two people were in critical condition while the condition of the other victims was stabilising.
Mr. Okema confirmed that an unidentified number of victims were rushed to St John XXIII Hospital-Aber, with some in critical condition.
“Police in Kamdini have registered a nasty accident where lives have been lost and an unspecified number of victims rushed to Atapara Hospital for treatment,” Mr Okema said in a statement
“It’s alleged that bus registration number UAT 259P which belongs to Roblyn Bus Company was traveling from Kampala to Gulu ramped into a stationary trailer at around midnight of January 6 ,2023 along Kampala-Gulu highway,” he added.
The trailer was allegedly loading at Adebe Trading Centre just one kilometer to the Kamdini checkpoint.
An eyewitness, Mr. Moses Omara, also the chairman of Kamdini Township Cell, said: “There were two lorries parked by the roadside. One had a technical problem. So, it was being offloaded into the other lorry but the side of this lorry was on the road and this bus knocked the lorry from behind.”
Fr. Dr. Samuel Okori, the hospital medical director, said the facility has written to the Ministry of Health for more blood supply to handle the victims in need of blood transfusion.
“The blood we had was not enough. So, we requested for more. We are managing the patients well. So, we have done X-rays on people who need it; those who need CT scans, we have also helped them,” he said.
Police said preliminary findings indicate wrong parking by the trailer driver with no warning signs.
