KAMPALA, Uganda — A spokesperson for the Ugandan police has indicated that there may be fatalities following an explosion involving a fuel truck along a highway in the East African nation.
Patrick Onyango reported that the truck had flipped over due to an accident before exploding in a town located just outside Kampala, the capital city.
A video circulating on social media, captured by a witness, depicted individuals attempting to collect fuel from the overturned truck, a perilous act that recalls a tragic event in Nigeria last week, which resulted in the deaths of over 140 people, including children.
Those who engage in the risky endeavor of gathering fuel from accident sites often do so with the intention of selling it for profit.
This is not an isolated occurrence, as similar incidents have taken place in East Africa over the years. For example, in 2019, at least 62 people lost their lives in Tanzania while trying to siphon fuel from a disabled truck.
