At least 46 people have been confirmed dead and dozens injured after a multi-vehicle collision on Uganda’s busy Kampala–Gulu Highway early Tuesday, according to police reports.
Authorities said the crash occurred around 00:15 local time (21:15 GMT) when two passenger buses travelling in opposite directions collided head-on while attempting to overtake a lorry and a car. The impact caused a chain reaction, overturning several vehicles and trapping passengers inside.
Police initially reported 63 fatalities but later corrected the figure, noting that several unconscious survivors were mistakenly counted among the dead.
Emergency teams rushed to the scene, transferring the injured to hospitals in Kiryandongo town for treatment. The Uganda Police Force has launched an investigation into the cause of the disaster.
Regional spokesperson Julius Hakiiza said preliminary findings indicate that dangerous overtaking caused the accident. He urged drivers to “avoid reckless behaviour on highways,” noting that overtaking violations remain a major cause of deadly crashes in Uganda.
The Kampala–Gulu Highway is one of the country’s busiest transport routes, connecting the capital in the south to northern Uganda and neighbouring regions.