BUGWERI — A bus driver was killed and 15 people, most of them secondary school students, were injured after a school bus rammed into a stationary trailer along the Mbale–Iganga Highway in Bugweri District early Tuesday morning.
The accident occurred at around 4:45 a.m. in Nawangisa Village when an Isuzu bus, registration number UA 551ED, crashed into the rear of a parked Mercedes-Benz Actros trailer, registration number UBB 269V.
The bus, owned by Amuria High School, was carrying 73 students from St. Paul Secondary School, Katakwi, from Mbale to Kasenyi Landing Site in Entebbe for a geography field study.
The bus driver, identified as Abdallah Kasakya, 68, died on the spot.
Busoga East Regional Police spokesperson ASP Michael Kasadha confirmed the accident, saying 15 occupants sustained injuries.
The injured include students Joseph Iraat (Senior Three), Emmanuel Obweikal (Senior Three), Samuel Martin Opio (Senior Four), John Martin Ingirot (Senior Four), and Simon Emodit (Senior Three).
Others are Samuel Aanyu (Senior Three), Jeremiah Oumo (Senior Four), Silver Okurut (Senior Three), Isaac Alibet (Senior Four), Samuel Oila (Senior Three), and Timothy Okot (Senior Three).
Police also named John Mark Ocen (Senior Three), Perez Nyasurura (Senior Four), teacher George Oluga, and the bus conductor, whose identity had not yet been established by press time.
A team of traffic officers led by the Regional Traffic Officer visited the scene to document the crash.
Police conveyed Abdallah's body to Iganga General Hospital mortuary for a postmortem examination, while the injured were rushed to the same hospital for treatment.
The damaged bus and trailer were towed to Busembatya Police Station, where they are being held pending mechanical inspection as investigations into the cause of the crash continue.
ASP Kasadha urged motorists to exercise caution on the roads, particularly during early morning travel, to help prevent similar accidents.
