At least 46 people were killed in a major road accident early Wednesday on a highway in western Uganda, police said, in one of the country’s deadliest crashes in recent years.

The crash involved two buses and two other vehicles on the highway to Gulu, a major city in northern Uganda. Police initially reported 63 deaths but later revised the toll, explaining that some people found unconscious at the scene were still alive. Several others were injured in the incident.

Police said the accident occurred when two bus drivers, traveling in opposite directions, attempted to overtake other vehicles and collided head-on near the town of Kiryandongo. “In the process, both buses met head-on during the overtaking maneuvers,” the statement said.

Fatal road accidents are common in Uganda and across East Africa, where roads are often narrow and poorly maintained. Police frequently cite speeding and careless overtaking as leading causes. In August, a bus carrying mourners in southwestern Kenya overturned, killing at least 25 people.

Irene Nakasiita, a Red Cross spokeswoman, described victims with broken limbs and severe bleeding, calling the crash “uncommonly high in magnitude.” She said the scene was too gruesome to share publicly. Most of the injured were receiving treatment at a nearby government hospital.

Uganda recorded 5,144 road fatalities in 2024, up from 4,806 in 2023 and 4,534 in 2022, according to official police data. Careless overtaking and speeding accounted for 44.5% of all crashes last year.

Road safety campaigners also pointed to weak enforcement of traffic rules, especially for heavy vehicles traveling at night. Joseph Beyanga, known as Joe Walker, said the Kiryandongo crash underscores the ongoing challenges in curbing road carnage. He organizes awareness walks from Kampala into rural areas and plans a memorial walk in November to honor victims of past crashes.

Police urged motorists to exercise maximum caution and avoid dangerous overtaking, stressing that such carelessness remains a leading cause of deadly accidents in the country.

Source: AP