Uganda Fuel Tanker Explosion: Death Toll Rises to 15

Chinomso Sunday

4 days ago

The death toll from the tanker explosion in Uganda has hit 15 after four people succumbed to their injuries, according to police reports.

The truck carrying petrol was travelling from Kampala to Gulu in Northern Uganda when it overturned and went up in flames on Tuesday in Kigogwa town, 25 kilometres north of Kampala.

“We got information two more people who were admitted to the hospital with critical injuries have died, bringing the number of the dead to 15,” Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesman Patrick Onyango told AFP.

“Twenty-four people were injured and admitted to hospital, some with severe burns”, he said, without giving exact figures.

Bodies of victims of the explosion of a fuel tanker that resulted in the death of almost 150 people are laid to rest in a mass grave in Majiya on October 16, 2024. – An explosion tore through crowds of people who had rushed to collect fuel spilling from a crashed tanker in northern Nigeria, killing at least 147, officials told AFP on Wednesday. The tragedy is the latest such accident at a time when petrol has become a precious commodity in the country, which is suffering its worst economic crisis in a generation. The fuel tanker veered to avoid another vehicle and crashed in the town of Majiya, Jigawa state late on Tuesday, police said. (Photo by Aminu ABUBAKAR / AFP)

“We gather most of the victims had rushed to the accident scene to collect fuel from the tanker when it rolled and overturned,” Onyango said, urging the public to keep their distance when such incidents
occur.

“The ongoing process to identify the dead has proved challenging as most of the victims got burnt beyond recognition”, Onyango added.

Incidents such as this occur frequently in Uganda. In 2019, a collision involving a petrol-carrying truck resulted in the deaths of 19 individuals when it collided with other vehicles and exploded.