The identities of people, who died in the Monday morning accident at Kalule on the Luweero-Kampala highway, have been released by police and Mulago Hospital.
The officer in charge of accident investigations in Traffic Police, Patrick Mugisha identified the dead as Emmanuel Lwanga, a special police constable attached to Kalule police post, Betty Odolla and Suzan Akello, both prison warders at Lira local government prison, Peter Okello the bus driver, and Isaac Ajal, Denis Anguru and Benson all residents of Lira.
The injured who have been admitted at Mulago hospital have been identified as Tom Onyuti, Shadrack Bisaso, Aisha Bin Abdu, Santa Ajuko, Amos Oyo, Joan Akia, George Oculi, and Bosco Odida among others.
Mugisha explains that 13 people have been admitted at Mulago in critical condition with fractured limbs while others with minor injuries have been treated in private clinics in Kampala and Luweero. He added that the dead bodies have been transferred to Kasana Health Center and Mulago Hospital Mortuary.
The 6am accident occurred at Kalule village along the Luweero-Kampala highway after the Gagaa coaches’ bus registration number UAL 158Z, which was coming from Lira to Kampala, rammed into a stationary trailer registration number CE203A/CE 998B.Police and eyewitnesses blamed the accident on the bus driver, Peter Okello, who was reportedly over-speeding. According to police sources, the driver of the bus tried to avoid a head-on collision with a Fuso lorry and rammed into the trailer.
Meanwhile traffic flow has been eased after police towed the wreckage of the bus to Bombo Police Station four hours after the accident. They have however failed to tow the trailer which is loaded with cowpeas raising fears of another accident. Traffic Police Commissioner, Stephen Kasiima told URN earlier that the trailer was too heavy to be towed away. He noted that they wanted to first offload the merchandise.
Police has recovered two guns from the scene of the accident. The rifles were reportedly being used by two special police constables deployed to guard the trailer. A local resident, Fredrick Kato Ssenabulya, who was among the first to reach the scene, retrieved them and rushed them to Kalule police post. The two SPCs including Emmanuel Lwanga, were killed in the accident.
