KAMPALA: The death toll from last week’s fuel tanker explosion near Uganda’s capital, Kampala, has surged to 24, government officials said on Sunday. The incident took place in the town of Kigogwa, around 25 kilometers north of Kampala.
Uganda’s Communications Minister, Godfrey Kabbyanga, described the explosion as a “devastating accident,” initially resulting in 11 casualties at the scene on Tuesday. He added, “13 more have since died in Kiruddu Hospital and Bombo military hospital, bringing the total number to 24.”
Identifying the deceased has been challenging, as several bodies were burnt beyond recognition, necessitating DNA testing to establish their identities, according to Kabbyanga.
The tanker, carrying fuel from Kampala to Gulu in northern Uganda, overturned and exploded en route. Despite being sought by authorities, the driver remains missing. Several injured victims are still undergoing treatment in local hospitals, including Kiruddu Hospital, according to local broadcaster NTV.
Tuesday’s accident marks yet another chapter in Uganda’s history of fuel tanker disasters, often worsened by people rushing to siphon fuel from overturned vehicles. In August 2019, a similar incident claimed 19 lives in Kyambura, while a catastrophic collision in 2002 killed 70 people near Rutoto. In 2013, 33 people lost their lives in a blast after a tanker overturned in Kampala.
The explosion in Uganda follows another recent fuel tanker disaster in northern Nigeria on October 15, which killed over 170 people. Only days after the Kigogwa tragedy, two additional fuel tankers overturned on the Uganda-Rwanda road, with one resulting in fatalities after a collision and the other catching fire without causing casualties.
