(MENAFN- Gulf Times) dpa/Johannesburg
At least 10 people died and more were feared dead after a tanker carrying fuel caught fire in south-western Uganda on Sunday, police said. The accident occurred at about 4 pm (1300 GMT) in the village of Kyambura, on the north-eastern side of the Queen Elizabeth National Park about 300 kilometres west of the capital Kampala, Uganda Police said.
"A tanker truck carrying fuel ... lost control and rammed into two commuter taxis and a saloon car, and exploded in flames, killing several people instantly," police said in a statement.
Authorities said that nine burnt bodies had been recovered from the scene while another body was still trapped in the wreckage. Earlier, police spokesman Martial Tumusiime told dpa that the commuter taxis were carrying at least 20 people. Police also said that another 10 people were killed and four were critically injured in a separate road accident in eastern Uganda.
Nine people were killed instantly when a taxi "dangerously overtook another commuter taxi" crashing into a bus coming from the opposite direction near Namutumba, some 150 kilometres north-east of Kampala.
A cyclist also died of his wounds at a nearby clinic. "These two separate but tragic incidents calls for additional measures by all stakeholders in strengthening our road safety campaigns, with stricter penalties to serve as a deterrent," police said.
"This is because most of the crash and collision traffic incidents on our roads primarily occur due to bad decisions by drivers." Accidents on Uganda's roads are not uncommon due to speeding, the poor mechanical condition of vehicles, and drunk driving.
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