In brief
In the early hours of Thursday, a school bus carrying pupils from King David Junior School overturned on Chekwatit Hill, ramming a roadside stone and killing 20 students and the bus’s director. Preliminary investigations point to a mechanical fault that caused the driver to lose control. Dozens of students and staff were injured, and rescue crews hurried to the scene. The tragedy is among Uganda’s fatalest recent road accidents involving children, prompting renewed scrutiny of school transport safety standards.
In early Thursday night, a school bus carrying pupils from King David Junior School in Ndejje slammed off the road at Chekwatit Hill, in eastern Uganda, tossing the vehicle onto a large roadside stone and overturning. The crash killed 20 students and the bus’s director, Mr Tadeo Ssekade.
Police reports say a mechanical fault triggered the loss of control at about 8:00 pm local time (17:00 GMT). The bus then struck a stone and rolled.
Emergency crews arrived quickly, and dozens of pupils and staff were treated for injuries. Video footage from witnesses shows the wreckage and locals rushing to assist those hurt.
The children had just returned from a study tour that included a visit to Sipi Falls when the accident took place.
Uganda records thousands of road deaths yearly, with speeding, poor vehicle maintenance and dangerous road conditions among the main causes. The crash has intensified calls for tighter safety checks on school buses and better road maintenance.
