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Kapchorwa road accident death toll rises to 21.

By Simon Peter Atwine

The number of people who have died as a result of the bus that overturned along Mbale-Kapchorwa road last evening has risen to 21, according to police officers in the area.

The accident happened at Siipi in Kapchorwa where 19 people died on spot. The Police in Kapchorwa say they started this morning the process of identifying the accident victims at Kapchorwa main hospital.

According to the Siipi regional police commander, Ignatius Otang, the Police is in touch with some of the relatives of the victims.

He said to the long distances where the victims had traveled had delayed some of the relatives to arrive in time to pick the remains of their relatives.

“We have also identified victims who came from Dokolo, Lira, Kirayandongo, Masindi, Kole and other surrounding districts. They were staff from Kiryandongo that asked their bosses to allow them tour Kapchorwa and Siipi Falls,” he said.

Otang said they have used media houses to call upon the victims’ relatives to go to Kapchorwa referral hospital and identify the bodies so that they can be taken for burial.

He said some of the bodies were beyond recognition which will require DNA tests to avoid people taking bodies that do not belong to them,” he said.

The regional traffic officer Siipi sub-region, Tom Mpaisi, said the victims were in Mbale for the end of year retreat and the bus belonged to Kiryandongo district local government education department.

He said the bus had over 30 passengers. He said the driver was not seriously injured and was receiving treatment at Kapchorwa referral hospital. He said he would be charged with reckless driving.

“We are waiting for the survivors and the driver to get better so that they can give us what actually happened. According to eye witness, the driver hit the rock, causing the vehicle to overturn six times.

By 9:00am Wednesday morning, no relative had arrived to identify and pick the bodies of their relatives and as we speak the baby sitters and babies to some the accident victims are now stranded at Wash and Wills.

Meanwhile a night accident in Njeru has claimed 10 lives, and injured 19 others. That happened when a truck rammed into fans dancing to Kadodi.

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