Early Friday morning, twelve people were killed and several others critically injured in a fatal collision along the infamous Fort Portal-Kasese route, thereby bringing yet more tragedy.
About 4:30am near Rugendabara Trading Centre in Kasese District, the terrible collision rocked the area and resurrected calls for immediate road safety changes.
Eyewitnesses claim a commuter taxi going toward Fort Portal crashed head-on with a speeding truck thought to have lost control negotiating a steep bend.
The collision’s intensity was so great that both cars were destroyed to twisted metal, with bodies found in the debris. Good Samaritans and emergency personnel worked for hours to free mangled taxi victims.
“People were shouting and weeping for assistance. We used axes and bars to bust open the car. “It was a terrible scene,” said Mr. Moses Kule, a nearby inhabitant among the first to reach the scene.
Police verified that 12 people died on the scene; at least nine more were seriously injured and taken to Buhinga Regional Referral Hospital and Kilembe Hospital.
Among the dead are eight men and four women; most of them are thought to be merchants heading to the early morning markets in Fort Portal.
The catastrophe this morning is the third significant crash on the same section of road in recent weeks, raising the death toll to more than 30 in just two months.
Growing concern among locals and leaders is over Fort Portal Road becoming Uganda’s newest accident hotspot.
“This route is jinxed. Councillor Ms. Rebecca Biira of Kasese District stated that “We have buried too many people.” She said that the increasing deaths were caused in part by rash driving, limited visibility, tight bends, and infrequent police patrols during early morning hours.
Traffic police claim that early inquiries suggest speeding and possibly driver fatigue, especially among long-distance truck drivers.
Authorities say they will conduct a safety inspection of the Fort Portal-Kasese road and deploy speed restriction systems.
The need of responsibility and quick action gets louder as families grieve the passing of loved ones.
Today’s crash serves yet another heartbreaking reminder that unless swift action is taken, the vicious cycle on Fort Portal Road could never be stopped.