One female passenger has died and several other people have been injured after a school bus carrying learners from Mwebaze High School collided with a train in Mukono district on Friday morning.
The accident happened at about 6:45am in Namumira-Bukasa village, Nakisunga sub-county, along Katosi Road, as the students were travelling to Jinja district for an educational trip.
According to Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Rachel Kawala, preliminary findings indicate that the school bus was attempting to cross a railway line when it was hit by an oncoming train.
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Police officers, together with emergency responders, evacuated the injured victims to Mukono General Referral Hospital and other nearby health facilities for treatment. The body of the deceased was taken to the hospital mortuary pending a postmortem examination.
Kawala said police had secured the scene and opened investigations to establish the exact cause and circumstances surrounding the crash.
She added that further details would be released once investigations are complete and the information has been verified.
The Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) said the railway crossing was being manned by a railway police officer at the time of the accident.
According to the corporation, the officer signalled the school bus driver to stop before crossing the railway line, but the driver allegedly ignored the instruction and proceeded onto the tracks, where the bus was struck by the approaching train.
Residents who joined the rescue efforts said several learners were left visibly traumatised by the incident.
Some witnesses also claimed that a number of students alleged the bus driver had been driving recklessly and appeared fatigued before the collision. Authorities have not independently verified those claims, and investigations into the crash are ongoing.
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