Police name Mbale-Tirinyi road crash victims as toll rises to six
A breakdown pulls a wreckage of one of the vehicles that plunged into River Namatala, following the three-car accident on Mbale-Tirinyi road on May 4, 2022. PHOTO | KOLYANGA MUDHANGA
What you need to know:
- Mr Benard Kapiede, an eyewitness told Monitor that a speeding commuter taxi heading to Kampala from Mbale side was attempting to overtake another taxi and instead ended up colliding with oncoming Raum car.
Six people have been confirmed dead and dozens seriously injured following a Wednesday morning three-car crash along Mbale-Tirinyi highway.
The accident occurred at Mailo tano (Mile Five), just four Kilometres from Mbale City at around 6:35 am, paralyzing traffic jam for nearly three hours as police and other first responders combed for survivors from the wreckage and evacuated the injured victims to hospital.
North Bukedi Regional Police spokesperson, ASP Immaculate Alaso, confirmed the tragic incident noting that cases of accidents along Mbale-Tirinyi highway, Tirinyi-Pallisa-Kumi and Pallisa –Kamonkoli are increasingly becoming worrying, as many lives are being lost.
“The police have attributed this fatal accident to reckless drivers and failure to observe traffic guidelines because this accident could have been avoided if the drivers had adhered to traffic guidelines,” she said.
The accident involved motor vehicles Reg no- UAT 995A (Raum) and UBH 437K (Toyota Hiace) and UBJ 676W (Toyota Hiace).
ASP Alaso said that the preliminary figure of the deceased was four but there could be others who might have been swept by the water because some of the bodies were retrieved from the running water of River Namatala.
Hours later, ASP Nampiima Faridah, the traffic and road safety public relations officer said the death toll had risen to six.
She identified the deceased as David Mulabi, Fatima Namarome, Kurusum Nambafu, Kafero Isaka. Two other victims are yet to be unidentified.
“One Saida Nandigobe sustained serious injuries while two others who are yet to be identified survived the accident. The cause of accident has been attributed to over speeding by the taxi UBJ 676W. The drivers of both Toyota Hiaces are on the run, and efforts are underway to have them arrested,” she said.
At the scene, Mr Benard Kapiede, an eyewitness told Monitor that a speeding commuter taxi heading to Kampala from Mbale side was attempting to overtake another taxi when it collided with an oncoming Raum car.
“All the three vehicles crashed into each other before falling into River Namatala. Some of the dead persons were being swept by the high-speed water but locals managed to retrieve them,” Mr Kapiede said.
He said some pedestrians were seriously injured as these were caught up in the Wednesday morning accident. Wreckages of motorcycles and bicycles were also found at the scene of accident.
Three ambulances were seen evacuating the injured persons to Mbale Regional Hospital.
Ms Rose Mary Baluka, the district Councillor representing Mugiti Sub County, appealed to the government to fix humps in the area, saying accidents on the road have become rampant.
“All the road guardrails were removed by the contractor putting the road user in danger,” she said.
