Seventy-two people, mostly Ugandan soldiers, were killed and another 41 injured, many seriously, when their huge truck crashed into a concrete barrier in the east of the country, a spokesman said on Monday. The death toll from the truck carrying the soldiers and their relatives was one of the highest the Ugandan army has suffered in peacetime.
"It was a trailer and the soldiers were changing location from eastern Uganda. Apparently no one escaped unhurt," army spokesman Major Felix Kulayigye said. Fifty-seven soldiers along with 13 wives and two children riding on the truck died in the crash late on Sunday in Uganda's mountainous east, he said. "It's really tragic. A team has been sent to investigate the exact cause of the incident." Kulayigye had earlier said all the dead were soldiers.
Fatal road accidents are common in Africa, where many vehicles are poorly maintained, safety is often a low priority and roads frequently potholed. The state-owned New Vision newspaper said the accident took place at Kapchogo village near Mount Elgon, which straddles the border with Kenya. The injured were taken to Mbale and Kapchorwa hospitals.