60 pupils survive road crash after school bus rams into truck in Mpigi

At least 60 students of Leos Junior School, Masaka on Tuesday survived a bus accident along Kampala-Masaka highway.

Eyewitnesses said the road crash which occurred at 6am at Mpambire –Kabira in Mpigi District, involved a hired bus belonging to St. Jude Secondary School, Masaka which rammed into a stationary canter truck load with matooke.

“It was a convoy of about seven buses from different schools. However, the driver of St. Jude SS tried to overtake that of Blessed Sacrament SS and as he attempted to avoid colliding with the oncoming Sino Truck he rammed into a stationary Canter truck,” said one of the eyewitnesses, Mr Sulaiman Kibuule.

“But it is good no causalities were registered, except that I saw the bus driver with some minor injuries,” he added

All the buses were transporting pupils of Leos Junior School to Jinja City for a study tour.

St. Jude SS director, Ms Mary Babirye Kabanda confirmed their bus had been hired by Leos Junior Primary School.

“It is true our bus has got an accident but those are not our students. We just hired the bus to another school,” she said.

Leos Junior School head teacher, Mr John Bosco Waliggo who was aboard the ill-fated bus said all occupants escaped unhurt.

According to him, all pupils and their teachers were evacuated from the ill-fated bus, boarded another bus in the convoy and continued to Jinja for the trip.

“It was a case of poor judgment by our driver which led to the crash .We thank God that we all survived. We managed to put all the occupants in other buses and we are now about to reach Jinja ,” he said on phone.

Leos Junior School is one of the top primary schools in Masaka City and is usually ranked among the best in Primary Leaving Examinations.