Ugandan authorities have revised down the death toll from Wednesday’s deadly crash on the Kampala-Gulu highway, lowering the figure from 63 to 46 after discovering that several unconscious victims had been mistakenly counted among the dead.
The Uganda Police Force said in a statement that the correction followed a detailed verification exercise with medical and emergency teams handling the aftermath of the tragic collision.
“Following further assessment and coordination with health facilities, we have established that the actual number of confirmed fatalities stands at 46,” police spokesperson Fred Enanga said. “Some of the victims initially presumed dead were later found to be alive but unconscious at the scene.”
The crash occurred around 12.15 a.m. at Kitaleba Village in Kiryandongo District, involving four vehicles, two buses belonging to Nile Star Coaches (UBF 614X) and Planet Company (UAM 045V), a Tata lorry (UBK 647C), and a Toyota Surf (CGO 5132AB 07).
According to preliminary investigations, the accident happened when the driver of the Nile Star bus, heading north from Kampala toward Gulu, attempted to overtake a lorry while the oncoming Planet Company bus was also overtaking another vehicle.
The two buses collided head-on, triggering a series of crashes.
“Our teams responded immediately, evacuating the injured and coordinating with local health facilities for treatment and identification,We regret the initial inaccuracy, which was due to the chaotic nature of the scene where several victims were unresponsive,” said Enanga.
Police confirmed that the injured have been admitted to Kiryandongo Hospital and nearby health centres, while the bodies of the deceased are being kept at the hospital mortuary for postmortem and identification.
