Bus collision on highway near Uganda’s capital Kampala kills 63 people

According to police, at least 63 people have died in a major road accident involving several vehicles on the highway between Kampala, the capital of Uganda, and Gulu, the city in the north.

Two buses coming from opposite directions trying to overtake a truck and a car caused the collision, which occurred shortly after midnight [21:00 GMT on Tuesday].

Both buses collided while performing the overtaking maneuvers, according to a statement from the Uganda Police Force. “Three people died, all in vehicles involved,” according to the report.

The police added that “we strongly urge all drivers to use the utmost caution on the roads, especially avoiding dangerous and careless overtaking, which continues to be one of the country’s leading causes of crashes,” as investigations progress.

According to the statement, those traveling in the truck and the car were injured and transported to Kiryandongo Hospital and other nearby medical facilities. Further information about the number of people hurt or how severe their injuries were provided.

One of Uganda’s busiest highways connects the capital with the biggest town in northern Uganda, Kampala-Gulu.

According to Irene Nakasiita, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross, the death toll from the most recent collision is unusually high.

She claimed that the scene’s photos were too gruesome to share them, stressing that “this incident’s magnitude is incredible.”

In Uganda, a total of 5, 144 people died in road accidents in 2024, according to police figures. That number rose from 4, 806 in 2023 and 4, 534 in 2022.