Police have confirmed that seven people were on board a truck that tragically plunged into the fast-flowing River Nile at Karuma Bridge.

The victims have been identified as Derick Akena (28), Sunday Opiyo Onyota (25), Wilfred Onekalit, Moses Rwot Omiyo (19), Alex Opiyo (26), Jamal Okello (29), the driver of the truck, and an unidentified woman.

The accident occurred on Monday evening when a Fuso truck, carrying 12 tonnes of maize grain, veered off Karuma Bridge and plunged into the river.

The truck, registered as UAY 284Q, was traveling from Lelabaro Trading Centre in Omoro District to a factory within the same district.

Initially, police had reported that only three people were on board the truck and suggested that the driver was allegedly intoxicated at the time of the incident.

However, on Wednesday, Joel Kashule Ogwal, the Officer in Charge of Nwoya District Traffic Department, confirmed that there were seven occupants in the vehicle and that all are believed to have perished in the accident.

“The six were passengers who boarded at the loading point, and the seventh, a woman, was picked up between Minakulu and Kamdini,” Ogwal confirmed.

On Tuesday morning, police recovered one body and two severed legs from the river, which were later identified by relatives at Anaka General Hospital mortuary in Nwoya District.

David Ongom Mudong, the Aswa West Police Spokesperson, stated that police had partnered with Sinohydro Corporation Limited to deploy a crane to retrieve the wreckage and investigate if additional bodies were trapped inside the vehicle.

The tragic incident has left the community in shock, as authorities continue to search for answers.

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