Summary:
- Police and army personnel, led by Officer-in-Charge of Kabale Police Station Andrew Akanyijuka and Kabale District Police Commander Joseph Bakaleke, attempted to extinguish the fire using a police fire truck but struggled to bring it under control.
KABALE: Traffic on the Mbarara-Kabale highway was paralyzed today after a fuel tanker rolled over and exploded at Kyanamira corner in Kyanamira Sub-county, Kabale District, around midday.
The tanker was en route from Kampala to Kabale when it veered off the road and plunged into a trench after failing to negotiate a corner. According to eyewitnesses Robert Shagama and Darius Twesigye, the tanker exploded upon rolling over, and flames quickly spread to nearby kiosks and houses.
Shagama and Twesigye reported that the driver, who remains unidentified, managed to escape the vehicle but collapsed while running, engulfed in flames. He was rushed to Kabale Regional Referral Hospital in critical condition. The witnesses noted that similar accidents frequently occur in this area.
Police and army personnel, led by Officer-in-Charge of Kabale Police Station Andrew Akanyijuka and Kabale District Police Commander Joseph Bakaleke, attempted to extinguish the fire using a police fire truck but struggled to bring it under control.
This area has a history of similar incidents. In December 2012, a tanker from Nakuru, Kenya, exploded in the same spot, killing its driver, Paulo Maina. Another incident occurred in April 2022, when a tanker rolled and exploded at Kirengere, roughly 100 meters from the current scene, with the driver surviving with burns.
At the time of reporting, police efforts to contain the fire were ongoing.
