One Dead, Students Injured as Train Collides with Mwebaze High School Bus in Mukono

[Da Dona]

One person has died and several students injured after a passenger train collided with a bus carrying students of Mwebaze High School, Kakiri, at a railway crossing in Kyetume, Mukono District.

The crash occurred at about 6:00 a.m. on Friday at the Namumira–Bukasa railway crossing along Katosi Road, as the students were travelling to Jinja District for an educational trip.
Police said the bus was carrying more than 70 students when it was hit by a passenger train travelling from Mukono to Kampala. The impact overturned the bus, leaving several learners injured.

A female passenger, identified as a teacher, died at the scene, while the injured students were evacuated by police and other emergency responders to Mukono General Referral Hospital and nearby health facilities for treatment.

Uganda police and The Ministry of Works and Transport confirmed that investigations into the collision have commenced, with the Uganda Railways Corporation (URC), Uganda Police Force, and the ministry’s Rail Safety Division working together to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Ministry spokesperson Allan Ssempebwa said a team from the Rail Safety Division had been deployed to support the investigations.

Uganda Railways Corporation spokesperson John Lenon Sengendo said preliminary findings indicate that the bus driver failed to comply with traffic instructions at the railway crossing.

Sengendo said a police officer stationed about 200 metres from the railway crossing had signalled the driver to stop, but the bus allegedly continued onto the railway line where it was struck by the train.

"The train crew repeatedly sounded the horn as it approached the crossing, but the bus continued onto the railway line," Sengendo said.

Authorities have urged motorists and other road users to exercise caution at railway crossings by obeying traffic signs, slowing down, staying alert, and avoiding distractions to prevent similar incidents.

Further updates will be provided as investigations continue.

Nile post UG​