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A school bus carrying children back from Sipi Falls overturned in eastern Uganda, killing at least 21 people. The tragedy has renewed scrutiny of Uganda's chronic road safety failures as villagers led the first rescue efforts.
Stock photo used for illustration
Kampala,UPDATED: Jul 17, 2026 16:48 IST
At least 20 children and one adult were killed after a school bus carrying pupils back from an educational tour to Sipi Falls in Uganda overturned on Thursday night, police said on Friday. The crash took place in Kapchorwa district in eastern Uganda.
Survivors, including three adults and several children, were taken to hospitals, though police did not immediately provide the exact number of injured. Ugandan Minister of Local Government Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi said on X that at least nine children were in critical condition, and that the adult who died appeared to be the founder and head of the school.
The bus belonged to King David Junior School, an elementary school in Kampala, police said. According to a police statement, the driver reportedly lost control of the bus, which veered off the road, hit a rock and overturned. Police said the information was preliminary and that the cause of the crash was under investigation.
Barugahara said residents of the village where the crash happened were the first to respond. They helped move injured children to hospitals and tried to rescue some of the victims.
A police photograph showed the bus lying on its side with the entire roof torn off and the seats exposed, with some of them mangled. Luggage and clothes were scattered on the road.
Road accidents are common in Uganda and are often linked to poorly maintained vehicles, speeding and bad road conditions, problems seen across Africa. Earlier this month, at least 14 people were killed when a bus collided with a truck in a remote part of northern Uganda. According to the World Health Organisation and the United Nations, Africa has the worst road safety record in the world, with more than 300,000 road deaths every year and around 26 deaths per 100,000 people. In Europe, which has much higher road traffic, there are around 20,000 deaths a year and nine deaths per 100,000 people.
The bus crash in eastern Uganda killed at least 21 people, left several others injured, and is under investigation, with local residents helping in the immediate rescue effort.
With PTI Inputs
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Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Jul 17, 2026 16:48 IST
