At least 14 people have been killed and 28 others injured following a head-on collision between a passenger bus and a trailer along the Kampala-Gulu highway in Omoro District.
The crash happened at about 9:30pm on Tuesday at Kulu Otit village in Bobi Sub-county when an Opit Travellers bus travelling towards Gulu collided with a trailer heading to Kampala.
Police said the injured were taken to several health facilities in Gulu City, including Lacor Hospital, Gulu Independent Hospital and Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, where they are receiving treatment for injuries of varying severity.
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Authorities also confirmed that both the bus driver and the trailer driver were among those killed in the collision.
Aswa West Regional Police spokesperson David Ongom Mudong said police were still working to identify all the victims before informing their families.
“At least 14 people are confirmed dead according to the accident scene report, while 28 were injured. However, we are still trying to establish their identities, and we shall give the details in due course,” Mudong said.
He added that the bodies had been taken for postmortem examinations while survivors continued to receive treatment in different hospitals.
According to preliminary police findings, excessive speeding by the bus driver is believed to have caused the crash.
“The cause of the accident is due to overspeeding by the bus driver. I am also informed that both the driver of the bus and the trailer are among the fatalities. However, we shall verify and share that information shortly,” Mudong said.
Mudong said many crashes on Uganda’s major highways continue to result from human error, despite ongoing traffic enforcement and public awareness campaigns. He noted that some motorists revert to reckless driving soon after passing police checkpoints and urged drivers to observe traffic regulations at all times.
He also appealed to passengers to speak up whenever they notice dangerous driving, saying public vigilance could help prevent avoidable road crashes.
However, some eyewitnesses disputed the preliminary police account, claiming the bus driver lost control while trying to avoid a pedestrian who was allegedly intoxicated. They said the bus veered into the path of the oncoming trailer, leading to the fatal collision.
The accident is the latest in a series of deadly crashes on the Kampala-Gulu highway, where speeding, dangerous overtaking and other forms of reckless driving have repeatedly been identified as the leading causes of fatal road accidents.
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