Gateway Bus Accident full Story

One person is confirmed dead and 30 others are injured after a Gateway bus heading to Kotido overturned outside Soroti town today. The accident at about 11am at Camp Swahili, about two kilometres from Soroti town on the Soroti-Katakwi-Moroto road. The bus registration number UAD 694U overturned and killed a boda boda cyclist instantly. The deceased was only identified as Onongo, a resident of Ogorai village, in Arapai sub-county, Soroti district. The survivors told Uganda Radio Network that the driver of the bus tried to avoid knocking cows that were crossing the road and overturned in the process. Among the people injured included police officers, a prison wardens and UPDF soldiers. The injured were rushed to Soroti regional referral hospital and Princess Diana hospital in Soroti town. Nelson Opobo, a policeman attached to Kotido police station, told URN at his hospital bed that the bus swerved left and right before it overturned. Opobo is nursing injuries to his jaws and has broken finger. He said he comes from Lamwo district in Northern Uganda. Another policeman, 36-year-old Moses Awio said he was feeling a lot of pain around his waist and could not sit up. Other survivors who talked to Uganda Radio Network include; Betty Alayo 31, from Kachumbala sub-county in Bukedea district, Donia Auna 49, a prison warden attached to Mbale and Anna Ilukor 33, from Kotido district. Alayo said that she was travelling to Kaabong to meet her husband Ikara Jorum who is a UPDF soldier. Ilukor, a nurse told URN that she lost her bag, money and all her academic documents that included, a certificate from Nurses council, O and A level certificates and her mobile phone. Dr. Emmanuel Batibwe, the Director of Soroti Regional hospital, said he could not readily establish the exact number admitted to hospital by the time of filling this report saying some had been rushed to theatre. Just yesterday, a Kakise company bus overturned in Kapir, Ngora district along Soroti Mbale high way injuring 20 passengers. Early this week, 35 people were killed when a Bakulu company bus collided head-on with a lorry at Nisitu, some 10kms outside South Sudan capital, Juba. Joseph Opolot, who witnessed the accident appealed to the police to check on the speed of the drivers in order to reduce road accidents.