More than 60 killed as passenger bus and fuel tanker collide

KAMPALA, Uganda -- More than 60 people -- including 10 foreigners -- were killed Thursday when an out-of-control fuel truck slammed into a passenger bus and burst into flames in western Uganda, police said.

All the passengers on the bus died in the accident, which occurred around 3 p.m. near Lutoto, about 180 miles west of Kampala, police spokesman Asuman Mugenyi said.

He said the fuel tanker's brakes failed as it was coming down a hill. The truck rolled for about a half-mile, gaining speed, until the driver lost control on a sharp turn, and then collided with the oncoming bus, Mugenyi said.

The foreigners were United Nations workers based in Congo and were heading to Kampala.

\, said Makmot Okello, a police official from the area.

Okello said the charred bodies were still in the wreckage. Police at the scene were waiting for a pathologist from Kampala to arrive and determine the exact number of people killed before removing the remains.

The bus was traveling to Kampala from Mpondwe, a town on the Congolese border, 190 miles west of the capital, Mugenyi said.

The fuel truck was heading toward Congo from Mbarara, 165 miles west of Kampala, he said.

The accident took place in a remote, hilly part of the country, Mugenyi said.