Uganda halts school trips after bus crash kills 21
Twenty children and one adult died when a school bus overturned after a field trip in eastern Uganda, authorities said.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
2 min read
Uganda suspended school trips after a bus carrying pupils back from a field excursion crashed in the east of the country, killing 20 children and one adult, authorities said. The move affects school outings nationwide while officials respond to one of the country’s deadliest recent road crashes.
The crash happened Thursday night near Chekwatit village in Kapchorwa district, according to the Uganda Police Force. Police said on X that the bus belonged to King David Junior School and was returning to Kampala after a visit to Sipi Falls.
Police said early findings indicated that the driver lost control before the bus left the road, struck a large stone and overturned. Authorities did not announce a final cause of the crash.
Officials said three adults and more than a dozen children were injured. Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi said on X that more than 28 children were receiving care in hospitals, including nine listed in critical condition.
The Uganda Red Cross Society released footage showing residents helping victims before official rescue teams arrived, according to Reuters and The Associated Press. Some injured children were taken to hospital in pick-up trucks, the footage showed.
Officials had not released the names or ages of the children who died. The adult killed was believed to be the school’s founder and head, Reuters and The Associated Press reported.
The government said it was suspending “all school trips and excursions” immediately and until further notice. Authorities did not say how long the ban would remain in place or whether additional school transport rules would follow.
Chekwatit village is in an area near Uganda’s border with Kenya, about 300km from Kampala, according to police and news agency reporting. The bus had been traveling back toward the capital when it crashed.
Uganda has recorded a series of deadly road accidents, with Reuters and The Associated Press reporting that crashes are often linked to speeding, poorly maintained vehicles and poor road conditions. The agencies reported that roads in Uganda are among the most dangerous in a region with the world’s worst safety record.
Earlier in July, 14 people died when a bus and truck collided in a remote part of northern Uganda, according to Reuters and The Associated Press. In October, 46 people were killed in a collision involving several vehicles, including two buses, on the Kampala-Gulu highway, the agencies reported.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.