16 children among 48 killed in Uganda bus crash

At least 48 people, 16 of whom were children, died in northern Uganda after an accident involving a tractor, a bus and a truck on Friday night.

The bus first hit the tractor that was driving without lights and then hit a truck, the Red Cross said on Saturday.

“Evacuation teams are working tirelessly to rescue the injured”, said Ugandan police spokeswoman Emilian Kayima, adding that all three drivers had died.

“The death toll is now at 48 including 16 children,” Red Cross spokeswoman Irene Nakasiita told AFP.

The accident occurred on Friday night in Kiryandongo, about 220 kilometres north of Kampala.

The bus collided first with the tractor before hitting a truck transporting beer.

Uganda has one of the worst records for road safety, due to the poor condition of vehicles and roads as well as dangerous driving.

More than 9,500 people died in a road accident in the country between 2015 and 2017, according to figures from the Transport ministry.

Reports indicate that the situation worsens every year.