Police in Arua City and Arua District spent over 12 hours on Friday night attempting to remove a heavily loaded trailer cart that detached, rolled back, and landed on a Toyota Prado which was closely following it.
The accident occurred at around 4pm at Kuluva, approximately 12 kilometers from Arua City along the Arua–Nebbi Road.
It involved a trailer, registration number UBD 852W/UBD 833X, a yellow Scania, and a Toyota Prado. Both drivers were yet to be identified by press time.
Initial police investigations indicate that both vehicles were traveling from Nebbi towards Arua when the trailer suddenly detached from its tractor unit, slid backwards, and crushed the Prado beneath it.
The trailer, which was fully loaded with fish, was reportedly coming from South Sudan, en route to Arua via Gulu–Pakwach and Nebbi.
West Nile Police Spokesperson, Superintendent of Police Collins Asea, confirmed the accident, noting that the driver of the Prado was still alive but trapped under the trailer.
//Cue in: “No body died…”
Cue out: “…some luggage around him.”//
Hundreds of sympathizers gathered at the scene throughout the night to help offload the fish from the trailer. A private crane was also brought in to assist with lifting the cart to rescue the trapped driver.
The two-kilometer stretch between Kuluva and Ocoko Trading Centres in Arua District has deteriorated severely, with deep gullies forcing vehicles to meander dangerously along the road.
This section of the Arua–Nebbi road is a major route for cross-border trade to DR Congo and South Sudan. However, locals say it has not undergone any significant rehabilitation in over a decade, despite its high traffic volume—much of it involving heavy cargo trucks.
