Police fire trucks in Masaka were on standby Saturday to prevent a fuel tanker from igniting after it collided with a speeding Fuso truck. The accident, which occurred around 4 a.m. on the Masaka-Mbarara Bypass near Kasijjagirwa, resulted in two fatalities.
The victims were identified as the Fuso truck driver, Profit Kyaluzi, and the turn-boy, Gadaffi Katabaka. The Fuso truck, carrying various goods, was heading from Kampala, while the fuel tanker was en route from Tanzania.
To prevent a potential fire, police fire brigade personnel, alongside traffic officers, doused the fuel tanker with soapy water. This action was taken to avoid a repeat of a similar incident that occurred earlier in the week at Kigoogwa Trading Centre in Wakiso District, which claimed at least 24 lives.
Residents of Kasijjagirwa Village voiced concerns about the crash, citing the narrowness of the road. Heavy trucks from Tanzania, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo also use this route, raising safety concerns.
Some residents suggested the road should be a dual carriageway to reduce accidents, while others called for speed bumps to control traffic.
The fuel tanker driver escaped without injuries, and authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash.