Uganda school bus crash kills 20 children and 1 adult

What the report says

Al Jazeera, citing Reuters and The Associated Press, reported that 20 schoolchildren and one adult died after a school bus crashed in eastern Uganda on Thursday night, July 16. The bus, from King David Junior School, had been returning to Kampala after an educational visit to Sipi Falls when it crashed near Chekwatit village in Kapchorwa district, according to the Uganda Police Force.

Police said in a post on X that early findings indicated the driver lost control before the vehicle left the road, struck a large stone and overturned. 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 hospital treatment, including nine in critical condition. Authorities had not released the children’s names or ages, and Al Jazeera reported the adult who died was believed to be the school’s founder and head.

The Ugandan government responded by suspending all school trips and excursions immediately and until further notice. Footage from the Uganda Red Cross Society showed residents reaching the crash scene before formal rescue crews and transporting injured children, including in pick-up trucks, for medical care.

The crash site is near Uganda’s border with Kenya, about 300km from Kampala. Al Jazeera noted that Uganda has a record of deadly road crashes, with risks often associated with speeding, poor vehicle condition and difficult road conditions. The report also cited recent fatal incidents, including a bus-truck collision in northern Uganda earlier in July and a multi-vehicle crash on the Kampala-Gulu highway in October.