By Steven Enatu
SOROTI
Two learners from Midland High school in Kaberamaido District have been confirmed dead in a nasty road accident involving a Busitema University bus registration number UG 1951E and a stationary trailer UAQ718C.
The Busitema University bus was carrying over 50 students from Midland High school for a Study tour in Jinja when the driver, according to the victims, knocked a stationary trailer around Awoja in Soroti at 3am today, 28th September 2023.
Dr. Assanasias Ariengu, a medical officer at Soroti regional referral hospital who coordinates emergencies in the region confirmed that the two died on spot while 24 were admitted with critical injuries and fractures on lower and upper limbs.
“I got a call from the DPC Soroti at 4am telling me that there is an accident in Awoja where a school bus belonging to Busitema university was carrying students from Midland High school in Kaberamaido for study tour unfortunately they didn’t see stationary truck and rammed into it. I immediately dispatched three ambulances from the regional referral hospital, one from the Red Cross and the police also helped us. The others were also injured but not all that. So I called Dr. Epodoi and Dr. Ajiko and as I speak to you, we have so far worked on four patients in the theater and they have come out stable.” Dr. Ariengu said.
He however said they were faced by a challenge of responding to the emergency effectively as the facility lacks an emergency unit.
“As a region we don’t have an accident and emergency unit so we had to bring them from the scene straight to the wards but fortunately the medics were around and attended to them. The supplies were mobilized, we also got support from Princess Diana health center four in terms of fluids” he said.
Babra Aringo one of the victims narrates that they left the school at midnight aboard the bus meanwhile other students were using a taxi and a costa and were ahead of them.
“The accident happened when we had reached Awoja, there was a stationary truck on the other side of the road, we were also proceeding the other side and there was a certain lorry that was coming from the opposite direction. From there I don’t know what happened, I was taken up by sleep, and then I just heard the noise in the bus. Things were disorganized, we came out and our director Nathan was struggling with the bus driver to get hold of him unfortunately he jumped and took off and this even caused our director injuries and went unconscious, police arrived when for us who were not badly injured were trying to improvise him with oxygen and he was picked and brought here at the hospital” she narrates while sobbing at the hospital premises.
Claire Ayipo, the deputy Resident district commissioner Kaberamaido called on the parents, relatives and other students to be calm.
“As humans we thought this was the best thing to do but God also has his own plans and we take it that way. As district stakeholders we are planning on how we can take the rest of the students back to school and the rest shall remain here being managed. The director Nathan Egaru and the rest of the teachers are stable. I call upon the parents and the rest of the students to be calm and we see how to stabilize the situation, these students are candidates and we need to prepare them for exams beginning on the 14th of October” Ayipo the deputy RDC Kaberamaido appealed.
