An overnight bus collision in Uganda resulted in the deaths of 20 students and one adult, with several others injured, police confirmed on Friday.
In response, the Ugandan government announced that all school excursions would be suspended until further notice.
Parents and relatives hurried to the elementary schoolyard in Kampala on Fridayنن morning to seek information about their loved ones.
What do we know about the crash?
Community liaison officer Michael Kananura of the Uganda Police Force said that the accident occurred late on Thursday in Chekwatit Village, Kapchorwa District, eastern Uganda.
The crash involved the Suzuki bus owned by King David Junior School from Kampala, which was on an excursion to the Sipi Falls water‑fall.
Kananura confirmed that 20 pupils and one adult male were fatalities.
Several survivors, whose identities have yet to be confirmed, were rushed to local hospitals for treatment; the officer reported that three adult males and several juveniles sustained injuries.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the bus was returning from an educational tour of Sipi Falls when the driver lost control, veered off the road, struck a large roadside stone, and overturned.
Police are still investigating the exact cause of the crash and will provide updates as soon as possible.
How did the government respond?
On Friday, Uganda’s Ministry of Works and Transport announced that Education Minister Chrysotom Muyingo had suspended all school trips and excursions effective immediately.
The sparsely populated Kapchorwa district near the Kenyan border is home to the Sipi Falls in the Mount Algon National Park.
Road accidents are common in the East African nation, often attributed to poorly maintained vehicles, reckless driving, and substandard road conditions—issues that are magnified in remote regions.
Earlier this month, a bus collided with a truck in a remote area of northern Uganda, killing at least 14 people. Earlier October, 46 people were killed in a crash on a major highway between Kampala and Gulu.
According to World Health Organization and United Nations data, Africa has the worst continental road safety record in the world on a per-capita basis, with approximately 26 deaths per 100,000 people per year—just under three times the rate in Europe.
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