GOMBA, UGANDA: At least three students are confirmed dead and several others injured following a fatal accident at Kasaka Secondary School in Gomba after a Sino truck driver rammed into one of the buildings on Tuesday afternoon.
The fatal accident happened at around 3:30 PM when the driver of Sino truck Reg No UBL 790J identified lost control of the vehicle and veered into the school computer Lab that was occupied by students and killed three on the spot.
The deceased students have been identified as Evelyn Namagembe a student of form five, Mawanda Bosco of S2, and Asege Hilda of form four.
Eighteen (18) other students were injured in the process and were immediately evacuated to the nearby medical facilities to receive first-aid treatment.
“It is alleged that the Sino truck driver lost control and rammed into Kasaka Senior Secondary school fence, proceeded through to the school computer Lab that was occupied by students, killing three students on spot and injuring other eighteen (18),” said Traffic Police Spokesperson ASP Faridah Nampiima in a brief statement on Tuesday evening.
Mr Kefasi Katumba, the school head teacher said that the driver of the ill-fated Sinotruk truck first hit the school gate before crashing into the computer lab and Senior Four West classroom.
“The driver seems to have failed to negotiate the corner and thought the truck will stop if he hits the school gate. Unfortunately, it just continued moving, crashing into the computer lab where it killed two students on spot and injured several others. The same truck moved ahead and rammed into the Senior Four West classroom where it also killed at least one student on spot and injured others,” he said.
In one of the photos shared on social media, the back of the truck is seen poking out, with the rest of the body ploughed into the building, with scores of onlookers inside the school compound.
The second photo shows the apparent damage to the building caused by the crash from another angle. Part of the structure’s roof appears badly damaged, illustrating the seriousness of the crash.
The school management was forced to send other students home until next Monday as they recover from shock following the tragedy.
Ms Nampiima confirmed that the truck driver identified as Wanume Abudala, 26, has been arrested to aid in investigations into what caused the accident.
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