No fewer than forty-six people have been killed after several vehicles crashed on a major highway in Uganda, the police say.
The authorities reduced an earlier death toll of 63, claiming that they had included patients who were unconscious and were being treated by mistake.
The incident occurred when two buses going in opposite directions “met head-on” while attempting to overtake two other vehicles—a truck and a car—on the Kampala-Gulu Highway at 00:15 local time (21:15 GMT), according to the Uganda Police Force.
One of the buses swerved to avoid a collision, resulting in a “head-on and side collision” that triggered a “chain reaction” in which other cars lost control and overturned.
In addition to the fatalities, police said that the passengers of the involved vehicles, as well as several others, were hurt. An investigation has been initiated.
The injured were brought to various hospitals in the western town of Kiryandongo.
In a statement, police said they were working with health and emergency agencies to verify the statistics and offer accurate updates while the investigation into the incident continued.
Regional Police spokesperson Julius Hakiiza blamed the crash on a bus that was “trying to overtake.”
He told the BBC that it crashed “with another bus that was coming from a different direction.”
The crash included four automobiles, he noted.
President Yoweri Museveni said he learned of the tragic accident “with sadness” and sent his sympathies to the families affected.
He recommended vigilance to avoid similar catastrophes.
He directed that each bereaved family receive five million shillings ($1,430; £1,070), while the injured receive one million shillings.
One of the busiest highways in the country connects the capital, Kampala, in the south to the northern city of Gulu.
Police have warned motorists to avoid “dangerous and careless overtaking” following the incident.
It said this “remains one of the leading causes of crashes in the country.”
