A fuel truck lost control and erupted into flames near the Ugandan capital on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of 11 people, including two minors, according to police reports. This tragic event adds to a troubling trend in the impoverished East African nation, which has seen multiple similar incidents in recent years as people scramble to steal fuel from tankers involved in accidents.
The Ugandan police reported that the incident occurred around 3 PM (1200 GMT) when the tanker overturned and caught fire in Kigogwa, approximately 25 kilometers (15 miles) north of Kampala. “Eleven people died, including two minors,” stated the Uganda Police Force on X, adding that “the victims were burnt beyond recognition.”
This incident came just days after a fuel tanker exploded in northern Nigeria on October 15, claiming the lives of over 170 individuals. Photos from the Kigogwa scene depicted yellow police tape surrounding the charred remains of the tanker, as forensic specialists and emergency responders examined nearby properties damaged in the explosion.
Bukenya Jefferson, a 29-year-old shopkeeper at Kigogwa Trading Centre who witnessed the explosion, recounted, “Fuel started to spill onto the road after the vehicle rolled over. People rushed to the truck. Some had begun taking fuel in cans.
Then we heard a loud sound, and smoke started coming towards us.” He added, “We were confused and saw everyone running, and I ran too, then saw smoke increasing.”
Shops destroyed
The police statement said the tanker was travelling from Kampala to Gulu in northern Uganda, a journey of about 650 kilometres.
“Unfortunately, people who rushed to siphon fuel from the tanker were the most affected,” it said.
Four buildings housing nine shops were destroyed in the blaze, it added, saying property worth millions of Ugandan shillings was lost.
“This tragic incident serves as a reminder of the risks associated with fuel tanker accidents and the importance of exercising caution when dealing with hazardous materials.” Charles Lwanga, a resident district commissioner for the area, told AFP that investigations were underway.
He also told reporters that firefighters had brought the blaze under control, preventing the flames from reaching a nearby petrol station.
The town lies on the road between Kampala and the town of Bombo, where the Uganda Land Forces have their headquarters.
Mega oil project
In August 2019, 19 people died when a fuel truck barrelled into other vehicles in the busy town of Kyambura in western Uganda and exploded.
In 2002, 70 people were killed when an oil truck rammed into a bus in Rutoto, less than 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Kyambura.
And in 2013, 33 people died in a blast after a fuel truck overturned in Kampala.
Uganda imports an average of 2.5 billion litres of petroleum a year, according to local media reports.
It is currently developing oil fields in the Lake Albert area of northwestern Uganda in a controversial mega-project with TotalEnergies of France and China’s state-run CNOOC.
The $10 billion project — which also involves building a 1,443-kilometre (900-mile) heated pipeline to ship the crude to Tanzania — has come under fire from rights groups and environmental campaigners.
Uganda’s veteran President Yoweri Museveni says the oil is vital to help economic development in the country, where the poverty rate stood at about 20 per cent in 2020-21, according to government figures.
