Namugongo: 55 pilgrims injured after bus overturns in Tororo

At least 55 pilgrims narrowly escaped death on Tuesday, June 4, after the bus they were travelling in overturned at Opedede Corner in Osukuru town council, Tororo district.

The victims were returning from the June 3 Martyrs Day celebrations in Namugongo when the accident occurred. All the pilgrims sustained varying degrees of injury and were rushed to Tororo Main Hospital for emergency treatment.

According to Moses Mugwe, spokesperson for the Bukedi South regional police, most of the victims are now in stable condition.

“We have visited the victims at the hospital, and I can confirm that most of them are out of danger and are responding well to treatment,” Mugwe said.

The crash occurred at around 9:40 am, involving a yellow Isuzu bus with Kenyan registration number KCQ 057Q, driven by Charles Ndirangu, a 58-year-old Kenyan national.

The accident reportedly happened as the bus navigated a blind bend and an unidentified truck attempted to overtake from the opposite direction. In a bid to avoid a head-on collision, the bus driver swerved sharply to the extreme left, causing the vehicle to overturn.

“Preliminary findings suggest the driver acted swiftly to avoid a collision, but unfortunately, the manoeuvre caused the bus to overturn,” Mugwe noted.

Police say investigations are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the crash. They are working to trace the unidentified truck and assess whether speeding, mechanical failure, or other factors may have contributed to the accident.

Authorities have since issued a general warning to motorists to exercise extreme caution, especially around blind corners and sharp bends, to prevent similar incidents.