KAMPALA, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people were killed and five others seriously injured in two separate road accidents in central Uganda on Friday, police said Saturday.
Faridah Nampiima, Traffic and Road Safety Police spokesperson, said in a statement that five people died and four others were seriously injured after a vehicle they were travelling in from the capital Kampala towards Gulu rammed into a South Sudan registered trailer from behind at Kyampisi in the central district of Nakasongola.
She said all the bodies of the yet to be identified deceased persons were conveyed to Nakasongola Hospital Mortuary for postmortem examination.
Meanwhile, four people were killed and another injured after a lorry truck moving from eastern town of Jinja towards Kampala tried to dodge a head-on collision with a commuter taxi which was overtaking, knocking five pedestrians in the process, killing four on spot and seriously injuring one.
Hellen Butoto, police spokesperson for Sezibwa region, said in a statement that the fatal accident occurred at Najjembe Trading Centre, along the Jinja-Kampala Highway in the central district of Buikwe.
"The bodies have been conveyed to Kawolo Hospital mortuary for postmortem examination. The hunt for the driver of the Tata lorry who fled from the scene of the accident is on," said Butoto.
According to police data, some 20,000 road accidents occur nationwide annually, causing more than 2,000 deaths. ■
