Lira, Uganda: At least one person died and twelve others sustained serious injuries following a tragic road accident on Wednesday evening at Corner Amach along the Lira–Soroti highway. All the victims are employees of Mota Engil Road Construction Company.
The deceased has been identified as Olobo Fabias, who died on the spot. The injured were on board a company Coaster bus, registration UBN 572P, driven by Otim Patrick, when it collided with a Mercedes-Benz Actros Semi-Trailer, registration KCM 0711A/ZB 1076M, whose driver abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene.
According to preliminary police reports, the Coaster was transporting workers from Soroti when the accident occurred at around 8:00 PM during heavy rain. It is alleged that the semi-trailer, coming from Lira, veered off its lane and rammed into the Coaster, forcing both vehicles off the road.
The injured victims have been identified as Auro Rehema, Omongot Lawrence, Omedi Quinto, Kasula Ronald, Ayuli Denis, Echeng Benard, Acio Monica, Alele Richard, Acheng Charity, Okalebo Jethrom, Akullo Patricia, and Opiny Joshua.
All the victims were rushed to Lira Regional Referral Hospital (LRRH) for emergency treatment, while the body of the deceased was taken to the hospital mortuary for postmortem. By press time, four of the injured had been referred to Mulago National Referral Hospital in critical condition.
North Kyoga Regional Police spokesperson SP Jimmy Patrick Okema confirmed the incident, saying traffic officers secured both vehicles pending breakdown services.
“Preliminary findings indicate reckless driving by the semi-trailer driver. We appeal to all drivers to exercise caution, especially during heavy rain. If visibility is poor, park safely to avoid such carnage,” Okema said.
He further urged the runaway driver of the semi-trailer to report to the nearest police station immediately.
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