Traffic
is paralyzed along the Mbarara-Kabale highway following an explosion by a fuel
tanker.
The tanker rolled down at Kyanamira corner Kyanamira sub-county,
Kabale district and exploded around midday on Saturday.
The
fuel tanker was destined for Kabale direction from Kampala. Mbarara-Kabale highway connects to the Uganda-Rwanda border of Katuna and the
Uganda-Democratic Republic of Congo border of Bunagana in Kisoro district.
Robert
Shagama and Darius Twesigye alias Nkumbura, all eyewitnesses narrate that
they surprisingly saw the fuel tanker rolling into the trench after failing to
negotiate a corner.
Immediately after rolling, Shagama says that it exploded and
fire flames started to extend to neighboring kiosks and houses. Twesigye also says that a yet to be identified driver managed to get out of
the vehicle but fell down running while burning. He was later rushed to
Kabale regional referral hospital in critical condition.
//Cue
in: “trailer yeija yahirima…
Cue
out: …kariyo nikaaka.”//
Andrew Akanyijuka, Officer in charge of Kabale police station
and Joseph Bakaleke, Kabale district police commander tried to put out fire
using a police fire truck in vain. By press time, traffic was still on
standstill.
In
April 2022, a fuel tanker also rolled and exploded at Kirengere about 100
metres to where this incident occurred. the driver survived with burns.
