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WAKISO, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | The first responders to the fire outbreak in Kigoogwa town have described it as a horrifying incident and blamed the Police for the delayed response.
On Tuesday, a fuel tank registration number UAM 292Q, from Kampala heading to Gulu overturned and caught fire in Kigoogwa town.
At least 11 people died on the spot with ten bodies yet to be recognized after they were burnt beyond recognition. Six others died in the hospital after sustaining injuries.
By Friday, Police was yet to remove the wreckage of the fuel tanker and the town is still reeling from the disaster.
Although Kigoogwa town is about 22 kilometres from Kampala City, the eyewitnesses say Police arrived over an hour later to evacuate the injured persons and put off the fire leaving the first responders in charge of the scene.
Mark Kizito a builder said that he rushed to the scene immediately after the explosion to search for his friend Ahmed Ssemwezi who was among the people siphoning fuel from the tanker.
Kizito said he joined the other responders to comb for homes and search for his friend after reports emerged that several injured persons sought help from the samaritans.
Kizito says that although he managed to save seven other people trapped in the houses, Ssemwezi was recovered with severe injuries by another responder and died upon reaching Rubaga Hospital.
He added that they collected water from water tanks using basins to try to put off the fire in vain because the fuel had spread far.
He noted that many other people could be saved if the ambulances and Police had arrived at the scene on time.
David Luyima a responder narrates that the smoke engulfed dozens of people in the houses near the scene and they had to break in to rescue them.
Luyima said that it’s unfortunate among the people rescued, one woman died immediately after they removed her from the smoke.
Ivan Kintu said that he offered free transport to several injured persons and transferred them to Bombo General Hospital among other health facilities for treatment.
“Some of the victims had multiple injuries on the head, legs, chest, face and entire body. The fire was devastating. It’s my first time to see people burnt beyond recognition and we shall take a long time to forget this tragedy” Kintu said.
Robert Kakaire another responder said although he was close to the site where the truck overturned, he feared to move close to siphon the free fuel after witnessing a related disaster in Bugiri district.
Kakaire instead engaged in removing motorcycles from the scene to stop the fire from destroying them after the owners were critically injured in the fire.
Several other responders say they are still traumatized after they rescued people but died shortly and others remain hospitalized at Kiruddu Hospital.
Several people near the scene left the houses after being traumatized and others were equally destroyed after the fire outbreak.
According to Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Patrick Onyango, the accident had claimed the lives of seventeen people and 21 people still battling with severe injuries at Kiruddu Hospital.
Onyango said that the Police are currently holding ten bodies of those who got burnt beyond recognition at the Mulago National Referral Hospital.
Onyango said that Police backed by soldiers of Uganda People’s Defense Forces responded swiftly to contain the fire. The Police deployed Fire brigade trucks, four 999 Patrol Cars, Ambulances, and Red Cross volunteers among others to contain the fire
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