Jinja City, Uganda: Police in Jinja have launched investigations into a tragic train accident that claimed the life of a pedestrian, identified as Habiba Nabirye, after she was run over by a cargo train on Wednesday evening.
The accident occurred at around 5:30 pm along the Railway Zone in Walukuba, when a train hauling four wagons of coils from Jinja Pier to Jinja City railway station collided with Nabirye, who was reportedly walking on the railway line.
Kiira Regional Police Spokesperson SP James Mubi confirmed the incident in a Thursday statement, noting that despite repeated hooting from the train’s driver, identified as 48-year-old Stephen Kusaba, the victim failed to respond to the warning signals.
“The train had four wagons loaded with coils and collided with a pedestrian identified as Habiba Nabirye, who was walking on the railway line. The train engineer excessively hooted but Nabirye could not adhere to the hooting signals,” Mubi said.
Police immediately secured the scene, obtained witness statements, and transported the body to Jinja Regional Referral Hospital mortuary for postmortem as inquiries continue. Authorities are yet to establish the precise cause of the accident.
Mubi cautioned the public to exercise vigilance near railway lines, stressing the need for safety awareness. “There is a saying that the train cannot knock someone but it is someone who knocks the train. This is because it has one designated route which it uses, and we are the ones to give way to it and not otherwise,” he emphasized.
DailyExpress has since learnt that the deceased, a casual labourer at one of the factories in Jinja, may have had hearing impairment. Other accounts suggest she could have been wearing earphones at the time of the accident.
“This is my neighbor’s daughter who had put in earphones, making it hard for her to hear the train hooting. She’s being buried today (Thursday). The body is beyond recognition, and this is very unfortunate. MHSRIP,” a resident posted on social media.
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