Kiryandongo bus accident survivor narrates ordeal

From his hospital bed in Mulago hospital casualty ward, Joel Wasswa is his late 30 is happy to be alive.

Waswa is one of the lucky survivors of a nasty accident that happened at Kiryandongo on May 25 at about 8:30pm when a Gaaga Bus, registration number UAK 562 L  from Lira to Kampala rammed into a tractor registration number UAU 872M before splitting into two.

At least 20 people have now been confirmed dead.

To Wasswa being alive to tell his story is like a miracle.

“The driver was over taking when he saw a tracker as he tried to avoid it the bus over turned only to find my self outside the bus.we were between Karuma and Kiryandongo narrates," he said, feeling pain.

Wasswa says after the bus had over turned, he was among the survivors who came out of the bus and tried to rescue other travellers who  were wailing in pain.

Some had their bodies stuck in the wreckage and others were wailing in pain.

"During the process of rescuing other, I started feeling a lot of pain and could neither see or walk. That is when a UPDF chopper came and airlifted us to Mulago hospital," he said. Others were taken to Nsambya hospital.

On Satruday, the minister of Health in charge of Primary Health Care Dr Moriku Kaducu together with the Lango Parliamentary leadership rushed to Mulago to assess the situation.

"We brought in 16 causalities but a child died at the air strip upon arrival,6were brought to Mulago and the rest were taken to Nsambya Hospital," Kaducu said.

The executive director of Mulago hospital, Dr Byarugaba Baterana, revealed that the surgeons and other medical experts where on call to attend to the patients.

"We have eight  people here, two patients are self-admitted and most of them have sustained fractures but all doctors and nurses are doing their best and all of them are going to be tested for HIV since blood might have mixed” Dr Byarugaba said.