The bus driver reportedly fled the scene immediately after the crash and remains at large. Police have launched a manhunt to identify and arrest him.
The wife of the headteacher of Mwebaze High School has died following a tragic road crash involving a school bus and a Uganda Railways train in Mukono District on Friday morning.
According to Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson SP Racheal Kawala, the accident occurred at about 6:46 a.m. at Namumira Village when a bus carrying about 100 students and teachers collided with an oncoming train at a railway crossing.
The bus, a blue Friendship Coaches vehicle, registration number UAU 123Q, had been hired by Mwebaze High School in Bakka, Kakiri, Wakiso District, to transport students and teachers on a study tour to Jinja District.
Police identified the deceased only as the wife of the school’s headteacher. She died instantly at the scene of the crash.
Several students and other occupants sustained injuries and were rushed to Mukono General Referral Hospital and other nearby health facilities for treatment.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the bus was allegedly travelling at high speed and failed to stop at the designated railway crossing, as required by traffic regulations, before attempting to cross the railway line.
“It is alleged that the bus entered the crossing, collided with the oncoming Uganda Railways train and subsequently veered off the road,” SP Kawala said.
Police said the bus was carrying approximately 100 passengers, including students and teachers.
The bus driver reportedly fled the scene immediately after the crash and remains at large. Police have launched a manhunt to identify and arrest him.
Investigators are also working to establish the identities of all the injured victims and determine the full circumstances surrounding the accident.
The crash has renewed concerns over motorists’ failure to observe safety regulations at railway crossings, where drivers are required to stop, check for approaching trains, and proceed only when it is safe to do so.
Police said investigations into the incident are ongoing.