A tragic accident involving a YY Coaches bus has claimed several lives after the vehicle overturned and caught fire along the Nyenga-Kisoga stretch of the Kampala–Jinja Highway in Buikwe District.
The bus with registration number UAV 701C, which was heading to Soroti from Kampala, reportedly crashed at around 5:00 PM on Monday evening, bursting into flames moments later and burning almost entirely to ashes.
Eyewitnesses described the harrowing scene, with many passengers feared to have been trapped inside the burning wreckage.
“We saw the bus lose control and flip before flames engulfed it. It was terrifying,” said one witness, who was traveling on a nearby vehicle.
By press time, authorities had not yet issued an official statement on the cause of the crash, but police and emergency services were on the ground conducting rescue and recovery operations.
It remains unclear how many people were on board and how many survived.
Some survivors, severely injured, were rushed to nearby hospitals, including Kawolo Hospital and Jinja Regional Referral Hospital.
YY Coaches, one of Uganda’s most popular long-distance passenger bus companies, has had a troubled safety history despite operating one of the most widespread intercity transport fleets.
The company has previously faced criticism over road safety concerns.
In February 2020, a YY bus heading to Mbale was involved in a head-on collision in the Mabira Forest area, leaving at least six people dead and over 20 injured.
In July 2016, another YY bus overturned in Iganga District, killing five people on the spot.
One of the most devastating YY Coaches incidents occurred in October 2013, when a bus collided with a sugarcane truck along the Tirinyi–Mbale road, resulting in 11 fatalities.
Investigations at the time blamed reckless driving and failure to observe traffic regulations.
Despite several public outcries and directives by the Ministry of Works and Transport to improve safety standards, YY Coaches has continued to operate with limited regulatory consequences.
While police were yet to comment formally, traffic officers at the scene told reporters that investigations are underway to determine whether speeding, mechanical failure, or driver error was involved.
Family members of passengers on board have begun gathering at police posts and hospitals in search of their loved ones.
More details will be provided as investigations progress and authorities release official figures.
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