STAFF REPORTER
Traffic on the Mbarara-Kabale highway was disrupted today following a fuel tanker accident and explosion at Kyanamira Corner in Kyanamira Sub-county, Kabale District, around midday.
The tanker, traveling from Kampala to Kabale, veered off the road and crashed into a trench after failing to navigate a turn. Eyewitnesses, Robert Shagama and Darius Twesigye, reported that the tanker exploded upon impact, with flames quickly spreading to nearby kiosks and houses.
According to the witnesses, the driver, who remains unidentified, escaped the vehicle but collapsed while fleeing, severely burned. He was taken to Kabale Regional Referral Hospital in critical condition. Shagama and Twesigye also mentioned that accidents frequently occur in this area.
Police and military personnel, led by Kabale Police Station Officer-in-Charge Andrew Akanyijuka and Kabale District Police Commander Joseph Bakaleke, attempted to extinguish the fire with a police fire truck but faced difficulties containing it.
This location has a history of similar incidents. In December 2012, a tanker from Nakuru, Kenya, exploded at the same spot, killing the driver, Paulo Maina. Another tanker explosion occurred nearby in April 2022, at Kirengere, about 100 meters from today’s scene, leaving the driver with severe burns.
At the time of reporting, police efforts to contain the fire were still underway.
