An elementary school bus returning from an educational trip to Sipi Falls overturned in Uganda’s Kapchorwa District on Thursday night, killing at least 20 children and one adult, police and government officials said Friday.
The bus, belonging to Kampala’s King David Junior School, reportedly veered off the road near Chekwatit village after the driver lost control, striking a large stone before flipping over. The adult who died is believed to be the school’s founder and head.
More than 28 children were being treated in hospitals, nine of them in critical condition, according to Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi. Three other adults and several children survived and were taken to nearby hospitals, some transported by pick up truck.
In response, Education Minister John Muyingo announced an immediate, nationwide suspension of all school trips and excursions “until further notice.”
The crash adds to a grim pattern of road accidents in Uganda, which along with the wider region, has one of the world’s worst road safety records. Earlier this month, at least 14 people died when a bus collided with a truck in northern Uganda.
Story by : Emmanuel Nettey
