A bus carrying the National Football team, Uganda Cranes, has been involved in an accident at Jami, Kamonkoli in the Eastern district of Budaka.

All the team players and the administrators who were on their way to Kampala from meeting President Yoweri Museveni in Soroti are safe.  Initial report indicate eight people who were in a taxi that the bus rammed into are dead.

The bus lost control after one of its rear tyres bust. As the driver writhed with it, he rammed into a taxi.

The accident happened as the national team player s and FUFA officials were returning from Soroti, where they had just met President Museveni, he had congratulated them on winning the CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup in Addis on Saturday. Uganda Cranes beat Rwanda 1-0 in the CECAFA Final on Saturday.

“Five people died on the spot and the rest were rushed to Mbale Hospital in critical situation. We are at the scene trying to analyse what actually happened but it was a terrible accident,” said the Budaka OC CID, SP George Ngaruye, when contacted for comment.

According to the federation Chief Executive Officer Edgar Watson, the accident was caused after the bus tyre burst and swerved off the road. The driver tried to control it as it was going to enter into a building, and as he returned back into the main road, it clashed head on with a taxi that was coming from Iganga.

“The players were injured but not critical. All of them have been put in a taxi and they are on their way to Kampala. I believe the injuries were not that critical though they had to leave the bus at Kamonkoli pending other details,” Watson explained.

Efforts to contact other players for details were futile.

Players Hassan “Gaza” Wasswa, Dennis Okot and Kezron Kizito  were those who sustained minor injuries together with the national federation media officer Ahmed Hussein.

“They have been put in a taxi and are travelling back but we will have to make sure that all the players go through a medical check up when they arrive in Kampala to avoid any post accident related problems,” said Watson.

“We were riding and we had a sound and what happened after was to see that the bus had swerved and was going to ram into the building.  The entire bus started shouting as the driver tried to control it ending up in the main road,” explained Kajoba.

“We were all scared.  It was scary,” said Ivan Ntenge after the accident.