At least 20 children and a teacher have died in a devastating school bus crash after it ploughed into a rock on a notoriously treacherous road, with 60 others thought to be wounded.
The driver is reported to have lost control of the vehicle following the impact and appeared to have experienced a mechanical failure at approximately 8pm local time on Thursday, causing the bus to career off Chekwatit Village road. The pupils were returning home from a school trip to Sipi Falls, Kapchorwa District, Uganda.
Ugandan police confirmed the vehicle rolled onto the roadside after colliding with a substantial rock. Emergency crews descended upon the scene to discover scores of individuals had been ejected from the bus.
Numerous people were pinned within the wreckage and were transported to three separate local hospitals following their rescue. Several adult males sustained severe injuries alongside many youngsters, police confirmed.
Three additional adult males were left with critical injuries as well as multiple children, officers verified, reports the Daily Star.
A Ugandan police chief stated: “We wish to confirm that, following the fatal road traffic crash that occurred yesterday evening at Chekwatit Village, a total of 21 people, comprising 20 pupils and one adult, have so far been confirmed dead.
View 2 ImagesPeople were reportedly flung from the wreckage(Image: Uganda Police Force /@PoliceUg/X)
“The crash involved an Isuzu bus, registration number UA 108BQ, belonging to King David Junior School, Ndejje, Makindye Division, Kampala. The Uganda Police Force extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved families, the management of King David Junior School, and all those affected by this tragic incident.
“We also wish the injured a quick and full recovery.”
Balaam Ateenyi Barugahara, Minister of Local Government, confirmed the deceased was the school’s founder and director Tadeo Ssekade. Neither the driver nor any of the youngsters have yet been named, according to reports.
An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collision is now under way.
Stanley Bayole, Kapchorwa Resident District Commissioner, commended the community’s response following the crash, stating: “The response from the community has been overwhelming.
“People brought bedding, offered transport and joined rescue efforts without hesitation. This is a strong sign of humanity and solidarity during a very difficult moment.”
Chekwatit Hill, the location of the incident, has long been recognised as one of Uganda’s most dangerous stretches of road, having witnessed numerous fatal accidents over the years.
This collision ranks amongst the deadliest involving schoolchildren in Uganda in recent memory. Just seven days earlier, a pupil and teacher perished when a bus carrying students crashed into a train in Mukono District.
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Police also confirmed that a further 14 lives were lost in a head-on smash between a bus and a trailer on the Kampala-Gulu Highway earlier this month.
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