Fourteen killed in head-on crash between taxi and sand truck on Masaka highway

What the report says

The Observer reports that 14 people were killed in a head-on collision between a commuter taxi and a sand-laden truck on the Masaka-Kampala Highway in Kalungu district, Uganda. The crash happened around 11:40 p.m. on Monday at Kamuwunga trading centre in the Lwera swamp section, a stretch that police said was affected by road works and traffic humps.

According to police, the taxi, a white Toyota Hiace traveling from Kampala to Masaka, was driven by Abdul Karim Ssembatya of Masaka City, who died at the scene. The other vehicle was a red Sino truck loaded with sand. Police said the truck driver fled and remains wanted. Preliminary findings cited by the newspaper say the truck may have crossed into the taxi’s lane while trying to avoid humps on its side of the road.

The victims identified by police include men and women from several districts, as well as a child and a police sergeant. Four people survived, including one occupant from the truck and two from the taxi. Injured survivors were taken to Masaka Regional Referral Hospital, while the bodies were moved to the mortuary for postmortem examinations.

Police have opened an investigation and towed the vehicles for inspection. The case underscores ongoing safety risks on the busy Masaka highway, especially where construction and heavy traffic intersect.