One person died and 12 others were injured in a road accident on the Karuma-Pakwach highway in Nwoya district, Uganda. Denis Tokuru, aged 25, died at the scene after the bus he and other passengers were traveling in from Kampala to Yumbe district collided with a stray elephant before crashing into a ditch.
The accident involved an Isuzu bus numbered UBB 584K, which is owned by Baby Coach Company. At around 7:20pm on Tuesday, approximately eight kilometres from Karuma junction inside Murchison Falls National Park, the bus collided with an elephant from a herd crossing the road.
David Mudong Ongom, spokesperson for the Aswa West Police region, said the bus driver attempted to swerve out of the way of the elephants but in doing so struck one, causing the vehicle to lose control and plunge into a ditch.
Those injured in the crash were identified as John Matovu, Najib Kivumbi, Morris Bayo, William Oroch, Hellen Ayikoru and Margaret Nyuta. Others hurt included Charity Onyungrwo, Santos Komakech, Jude Komakeck, Paska Achieng, Doreen Munguchi and Razak Abdallah.
Ongom stated that traffic police visited the scene and took the victims to RG Hospital Karuma and nearby clinics for treatment. Tokuru’s body remained trapped under the bus at the crash site awaiting a heavy recovery vehicle to retrieve it.
The road accident case has been registered at Nwoya Central Police Station under reference number TAR 584/2023. Meanwhile, William W Kagoro of Murchison Falls National Park said rangers had been dispatched to track the injured elephant.