Soroti, Uganda – A fuel tanker traveling from Eldoret to Juba in South Sudan burst into flames today along the busy Lira-Soroti highway, causing a traffic standstill.
The tanker, with the registration numbers SSD 321V/SSD 320V, was carrying fuel owned by Narus Company Ltd in Kenya. The incident occurred at Gwengabara in Boroboro ward, Lira City East Division.
The driver of the tanker, Mohamed Ibrahim, a 32-year-old Kenyan, remains unaccounted for. Fortunately, there were no reported casualties. Thomas Ogwal Ochol, a Catechist at St. Philips Church of Uganda in Gwengabara, where the accident took place, stated that they safeguarded church property and ensured no one was trapped in the fire.
Kilara Okwanga, an eyewitness, revealed that a loud explosion woke her up just moments before she was alerted by a person she suspects to be the driver. This individual urgently called on her to evacuate her home. Regrettably, Kilara lost various household items, bags of groundnuts, maize, and some cash while attempting to safeguard her property. She managed to rescue a metal box containing money from her Village Saving Group.
Jimmy Patrick Okema, the North Kyoga Police Spokesperson, confirmed the incident and mentioned that no reports of lost property have been filed yet. Investigations are currently ongoing to determine the cause of the accident.
This incident is reminiscent of a similar occurrence in June of this year when a similar truck overturned and caught fire in Myene sub-county, Oyam district. In that instance, the driver and passengers managed to escape the vehicle in the nick of time, avoiding a tragic outcome.
