On January 3, 2023, a truck carrying oranges overturned, resulting in nine fatalities. The incident occurred around 1:00 am near the flyover along the Kampala-Jinja highway in Buikwe.
Hellen Butoto, the Police Public Relations officer for Ssezibwa Region, provided details of the fatal accident. The Mitsubishi Fuso truck, with registration number UBN 533T, was transporting sacks of oranges from Jinja to Kampala. The vehicle, driven by an unidentified individual, had passengers concealed under a tarpaulin to evade detection by traffic police officers.
The driver lost control of the truck, causing it to overturn into a water channel. The tarpaulin covering the vehicle fell on the passengers, leading to suffocation. Nine bodies were recovered from the scene and transported to Kawolo Hospital mortuary for post-mortem examinations. Seven of the deceased remain unidentified, while two have been identified.
Three survivors are currently receiving treatment at Kawolo Hospital, and the overturned truck has been towed and is parked at Lugazi Central Police Station’s yard.
