Six perish, eight injured in Kyenjojo road crash

Police in Kyenjojo District are investigating circumstances surrounding a tragic road crash that claimed the lives of six individuals, leaving eight others with critical injuries.

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening at Mukunyu along the Kyenjojo-Fortportal road when a Fuso Lorry failed to brake and overturned multiple times before it rammed into a stationary taxi.

Mr Vincet Twesige, the Rwenzori West Police spokesperson said Wednesday that the trucker driver is currently on the run and the injured are currently nursing wounds at Kyenjojo Hospital. The deceased were also taken to the facility morgue for postmortem.

"We are currently investigating an incident that occurred when a driver failed to brake and collided with a taxi. The driver was driving recklessly and at high speed, even though the truck was not carrying any cargo. We are questioning why the driver did not stop at a trading centre where there were many people. We take road safety issues seriously and urge all road users to prioritize them," he said.

Mr Twesige said the deceased include; four male adults, one female adult, and one female juvenile, but their particulars had not been known by press time Wednesday afternoon.

He however identified the injured as; Ben Kyaruhuzi, 25, a resident of Kasambya in Mubende District; Brian Kyamanywa, 24, from Kiburara village in Kabarole District; Ronald Tumuhenda, 23, from Kyenjojo District, and Moreen Kabasinguzi, 32, from Kyenjojo District. Three other female victims and one male adult remain unidentified.

In the 2023 police annual crime report, a total of 175 people lost their lives to road crashes in the Rwenzori West region last year.