A truck transporting alcoholic beverages plunged into River Nyagak in Zombo District following a head-on collision with a motorcycle.
The incident occurred on Thursday, October 24, at around 10:00 am, in Mathawele Village, Oyeyu Parish, Nyapea Sub-County.
The registration number of the truck and the identities of those involved remain unclear. Both the truck and the motorcycle remain submerged in the river, as traffic police from Paidha Central Police Station are yet to recover the vehicles.
According to eyewitnesses, the truck was speeding from Paidha Town when it narrowly missed an oncoming motorcycle carrying three passengers.
One eyewitness, Moses, described how the motorcycle’s passengers and rider jumped off just before the collision.
“The motorcycle flew into the river, and the truck followed, plunging into the water with two people onboard,” he explained. He added that the motorcycle rider sustained serious injuries.
Another witness, Jaloch Crespo, confirmed that the two victims, including the injured motorcycle rider, were rescued from the river and rushed to Nyapea Hospital for treatment.
Joe Ubedgiu, the local councillor for Oyeyu Parish, reassured the public, saying, “No fatalities have been reported so far, and we will provide updates as more information becomes available.”
Fred Onenarach, chairman of the Zombo District Boda Boda Association, confirmed that the injured motorcycle rider was a member of the Padea Boda Boda Association in Padea Town.
He cautioned other riders to avoid reckless driving, especially as the festive season approaches.
By the time of filing this report, traffic police had not yet arrived at the scene, where a large crowd had gathered to witness the aftermath of the shocking accident.
This incident follows alarming road safety statistics released in September, which reported 61 fatalities and 308 serious injuries in road crashes across Uganda between September 8-14.
Motorcyclists and pedestrians accounted for 82% of the deaths in those crashes.
