One dead, scores injured as truck overturns in Masindi
The truck involved in an accident reportedly belongs to one of the contractors attached to Kinyara Sugar Limited.
By Our Reporter
Masindi: One person has died on the spot and scores injured after the fuso truck they were traveling in overturned.
The incident happened on Tuesday at around 7:30 a.m along Seke Road in Kiryana village, Kimengo Sub County, Masindi district.
The Fuso truck, whose registration number is yet to be ascertained, was carrying 59 sugarcane cutters to Kimengo Sub County; one died on the spot; 20 were critically injured; and over 30 sustained minor injuries.
The victims were admitted to Masindi general hospital, while the dead body was in the same facility’s mortuary pending post-mortem by press time.
The truck involved in an accident reportedly belongs to one of the contractors attached to Kinyara Sugar Limited.
James Okello, one of the victims, told ugreports.com at Masindi Hospital that the fuso truck they were traveling in slid from the road since it was slippery and ended up overturning.
‘’The vehicle overpowered the driver and slid off the road since it was slippery, thus overturning and killing one of our colleagues,’’ he explained.
Mr. Aldon Walukamba, the Kinyara Sugar Company Corporate Communications Manager, confirmed the incident and condoled with the family of the deceased.
‘’It’s unfortunate that one person has died on the spot while scores have sustained injuries after a truck belonging to one of our contractors overturned this morning,’’ he said on Tuesday.
Walukamba told this website that they have always emphasized to contractors to avoid carrying cane cutters together with harvesting tools like pangas so as to minimize injuries or deaths when such trucks get involved in an accident.
He, however, stressed that many times the contractors have not adhered to emphasis since they pick up sugarcane cutters at different points and in the wee hours of the morning.
”Our contractors are not supposed to carry cane cutters and pangas in the same vehicle, which is in line with the agreement they signed with the company, but they have not adhered to it,” he said.
Walukamba noted that they are working with the relative authorities to investigate the main cause of the accident and the particulars of the vehicle and deceased person.
We couldn’t get a comment from Julius Allan Hakiza, the Albertine Region Police Spokesperson, since his known number was off by the time we published this story.
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