HOIMA, Uganda — Seven people were critically injured Thursday morning in a head-on collision involving a taxi and a truck on the Hoima-Kampala road, police said.
The crash occurred around 8 a.m. in Kigona village, Butema Parish, Buhanika sub-county. The vehicles involved were a taxi, license plate UBJ 478L, traveling from Hoima to Kampala, and a box-body truck, license plate UAT 702A, heading from Kampala to Hoima.
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The injured were rushed to various health facilities in Hoima city, officials said, but details on the victims were not immediately available.
Julius Hakiza, the Albertine region police spokesperson, confirmed the crash, stating traffic officers were sent to investigate. Hakiza said preliminary findings indicate the taxi driver was speeding, failed to negotiate a sharp corner, and slammed into the oncoming truck.
“We had a loud bang and rushed, only to find that both vehicles had been involved in a serious accident,” said Emmanuel Kansiime, a Kigona resident.
Eyewitness Sarah Namukasa said occupants in both vehicles were screaming for help immediately after the collision.
The drivers of both vehicles, who have yet to be identified, were also injured but fled the scene immediately after the crash, according to Hakiza.
Recent highway crashes plague region
The crash follows two other recent accidents on the Gulu–Kampala Highway in Kiryandongo District:
- Wednesday evening, 11 people were critically injured when a Nile Star Coach bus, traveling from Kampala to Arua, swerved to avoid a motorcyclist near Alengo Village, lost control, and overturned. The bus driver has been arrested.
- 22, a fatal crash on the same highway in Kitaleba Village claimed 46 lives and injured 67 people. That collision involved two passenger buses, a lorry, and a Toyota Surf. Police determined one bus attempted to overtake a lorry while another bus was overtaking from the opposite direction, leading to a massive pileup.
