Twenty pupils and one adult died after a school bus overturned in Kapchorwa District, Uganda, on the evening of Thursday, July 16, in one of the country's deadliest school transport accidents in recent years.
The Uganda Police Force said the Isuzu bus, registered UA 108BQ and belonging to King David Junior School in Ndejje, Kampala, was returning from an educational tour to Sipi Falls when the driver lost control of the vehicle.
According to police, the bus veered off the road at Chekwatit Village in Kimawa Parish, Kawowo Sub-county, struck a large roadside stone and overturned at around 8pm.
The death toll initially reported at the scene rose to 21 as rescue operations continued, comprising 20 pupils and one adult male. Three adult males and several children were injured and taken to Kaserem Health Centre IV, Kapchorwa General Hospital and Mbale Regional Referral Hospital for treatment.
The bodies of the deceased have been taken to Kapchorwa Mortuary, where they await identification by relatives and post mortem examination.
Investigations into the exact cause of the crash are ongoing, with police saying further details will be released as they become available.
The Uganda Police Force extended condolences to the bereaved families and the management of King David Junior School, and wished the injured a full recovery.
The tragedy comes barely a week after a separate incident in Kenya, where a bus carrying 56 students and four teachers from AIC Lomut Secondary School was involved in a crash along the Kabarnet-Marigat Road while travelling to Eldoret. No deaths were reported in that incident, though injured students and teachers were taken to Baringo County Referral Hospital for treatment and psychosocial support.
Both incidents add to a pattern of school transport accidents across the region, renewing concern over the condition of roads and the safety standards applied to vehicles used for school trips and educational tours.
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