Truck plunges into river in Uganda, killing 23

KAMPALA - Twenty-three people were killed after a truck they were travelling in plunged into a river in the northwestern Ugandan district of Arua, a police spokesman said here on Wednesday.

Asuman Mugenyi, the Uganda Police Spokesman told Xinhua by telephone that the Tuesday evening accident occurred when the truck travelling from Zombo to Arua town plunged into River Ala in Vuura Sub County, about 12 km from Arua town.

"Out of the 23 bodies retrieved, 22 of them have been identified and taken by the relatives. Only one unidentified body is still at the mortuary," said Mugenyi.

"There was a problem with the bridge. It was made of wood, which had rotten. When the truck stepped on it, it broke. The truck plunged in and people drowned," he said.

The police have accounted for only eight survivors of the accident who were rushed to various health centers for treatment.

The exact number of passengers aboard the Isuzu truck is not certain. The police puts the figure at 31 while local media put it at 34 people.

The truck was also loaded with merchandise.

Uganda is one of the countries in the world with the highest number of road accidents.

The 2010 Police Annual report shows that over 2,950 people perished in road accidents in Uganda in 2010.