8 dead, scores injured in S. Sudan bus crash

December 11, 2013 (KAMPALA) – Eight people were killed and several others injured in a bus accident on Wednesday afternoon near Aruu junction, 20km south of the South Sudanese capital, Juba.

The bus, said to be Kenyan registered, belonged to the Lol Bus Company, Ugandan police said.

The bus was coming from Uganda, but was already in South Sudanese territory at the time of the accident.

Patrick Onyango, a spokesman for the Ugandan police, said two of the dead were Ugandans, while six were Sudanese.

“The injured were rushed to Juba teaching hospital”, Onyango told Sudan Tribune.

The police spokesman cautioned drivers against careless driving.

The number of injured could not immediately be established, but a source said about 60 passengers could have sustained injuries in the crash.

Accidents are a regular occurrence for the long distance buses that ply the route between Uganda and South Sudan.

Last month, two people died and several others were injured when a Juba-bound bus from Kampala collided with a truck at Jebilin, about 90km from Juba.

Speed was also suspected to have been a factor in Wednesday’s accident.

(ST)