Over 40 traders are counting losses after a bus they travelled in caught fire.

The bus belonging to Friends Bus Company Ltd, registration number, UBL 996N went up in flames on Saturday opposite Jet Oil fuel station in Rubaare town council, Ntungamo district.

The traders mostly from Kampala were en route to Goma-Gisenyi in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Samson Kasasira, Rwizi Region police spokesperson said that the bus attendants noticed the flames of fire emanating from the behind tyre and tried to put it off using their extinguishers, but it had already gutted some parts of the bus.

The destroyed merchandise included clothes, books, shoes, cosmetics, laptops, belts, and mobile telephones among others estimated to cost millions of shillings.

Josephine Ulibubengi said that her belongings, valued at Shs 4 million were reduced to ashes. She castigated the police fire brigade for arriving late at the scene when their belongings had already been burnt into ashes. 

Jim Muzora, officer in charge of Rubaare police station said that they called the Fire Brigade from Ntungamo Central police station which is about 19km away, but by the time it arrived it couldn’t save any property.

Kasasira said the bus was towed to Rubaare police station for an inspection as investigations to identify the cause of the fire commenced.