Ugandan police say 46 people have been confirmed dead after a multi-vehicle collision on the Kampala–Gulu Highway shortly after midnight.

The crash happened at about 00:15 local time (21:15 GMT) when two buses travelling in opposite directions “met head on” while attempting to overtake a lorry and a car, triggering a chain reaction in which other vehicles lost control and overturned. 

Police said passengers in the vehicles involved, as well as several others, were injured and an investigation is under way. 

The wounded have been taken to different hospitals in the western town of Kiryandongo. 

In a statement, the Uganda Police Force said it was working with health and emergency services to verify casualty numbers and would provide accurate updates as inquiries continue into the cause of the tragedy. 

Regional police spokesperson Julius Hakiza attributed the crash to a bus that was trying to overtake and collided head-on with another bus coming from the opposite direction. 

Four vehicles were involved, he said. The Kampala–Gulu Highway, linking the capital to the northern city of Gulu, is among the country’s busiest routes, and police urged motorists to avoid dangerous and careless overtaking, which they say remains one of the leading causes of crashes nationwide. 

Source: BBC

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