Uganda: Cranes Football Team in Bus Accident - Five Dead

Uganda Cranes players who were traveling from Soroti district after meeting president Museveni have been involved in an accident at Jami in Kamonkoli, Budaka district. Five people are said to have been killed and several others seriously injured in the accident. They were rushed to Mbale regional hospital. “We got a puncture and the bus lost control. It rammed into a Taxi and a number of people traveling in the taxi are dead. Thank God, we are all fine with minor injuries to Hassan Wasswa Dazo and Denis Okot,” said the KCCA left back Joseph Ochaya.

 The Bukedi regional Traffic Officer Mr Paul Okongo said the accident involved a Cranes Bus coming from Soroti and an Omnibus travelling from Kampala to Mbale before blaming it on reckless driving.

The accident happened after Cranes players met president Museveni and presented to him the trophy they won at the recently concluded CECAFA competitions in Ethiopia.

 “I blame the accident on reckless driving on the side of the Cranes bus driver because he was driving fast. He lost control after one of the bus tires got a puncture and rammed into an Omnibus No. UAT 573M that was heading to Mbale killing, five people died on the spot while the rest were severely injured,” said Mr Okongo.

“All the dead were occupants of the Omnibus and were heading to Mbale from Kampala,” added Mr Okongo. Traffic Police has only managed to identify two bodies of the diseased as Mr Charles Mwima and Mr Wahab Nakifuyi and the rest remained unknown. By the time of filing this story, the wreckages of the vehicles were being towed to Budaka Police Station.