The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Fort Portal, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A somber mood engulfed Fort Portal regional referral hospital as relatives of the victims of the Fort Portal Kyenjojo Highway Link bus accident gathered at the mortuary to identify their bodies, following the Wednesday morning accident.
At least 20 people had been confirmed by police to have died in a single fatal crash. Eleven male and nine female victims’ bodies were taken to the mortuary pending treatment and hand over to family relatives.
Many people were seen gathering around the mortuary wailing and sobbing, attempting to gain access to the doorway. Hospital management at one time had to seek assistance from the UPDF personnel to manage the crowds. Hundreds of members of the public also tried to access the mortuary to see for themselves, making the situation harder to manage.
At the surgical ward, the nurse in charge, Joyce Munakenya told URN that the hospital had run out of space for admission following the huge number of patients that were being brought from the causualty ward.
Munakenya said they received three serious cases where patients had broken limbs and arms that were shattered during the accident.
I can’t ascertain the exact number of patients in the hospital, but one thing I’m sure of is that they are many, others are still in the theater undergoing medical procedures,” Munakenya added.
However, she said a few of the patients who had minor injuries were discharged from the facility to create more space.
Haruna Mohammed, one of the survivors told our reporter that the the front tyre burst which made the driver lose control hence hence causing the accident.
“At the moment I don’t know exactly how I escaped from the bus because it was at a terrible speed by the time the accident occurred, I just found myself outside with a minor injury on the head, however one of the people I was sitting with from Bundibugyo died,” Mohammed said.
One of the survivors who was heading for agricultural training said she had barely paid her transport fares when she heard the tyre burst before the bus hit a guard rail along the road.
Police are yet to name the deceased and the exact number of patients who sustained both minor and serious injuries.
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