HOIMA .
At least 19 have been confirmed dead after a Fuso lorry carrying traders lost control and crashed on Tuesday night along the Hoima–Buliisa Road .
Eyewitnesses have described the crash scene hear Hillside Secondary School in Kigorobya Sub-county as horrific .
The victims were mostly traders from Hoima City, who operate mainly from an open-air markets commonly mubuulo .
These traders often make long journeys to an auction market before returning to downtown Hoima City to sell clothes, shoes, and other merchandise in what locals commonly call Hardware Market, located directly opposite Cadam building.
Police and eyewitnesses say the lorry, registration number UBB 639W, struggled to climb a steep hill around Nyabagwa Ha’kisaru, then suddenly rolled backward, ploughing through some passengers and killing many on board as it overturned.
Hoima traders frequently travel such long regional routes dangerously seated atop or crammed inside overloaded Fuso trucks stacked high with luggage and merchandise, despite repeated warnings from transport and road safety officials.
“We counted several bodies before police arrived,” said one witness who helped at the scene. “The truck just came speeding back downhill and crushed people.”
By early Wednesday, families gathered at Hoima City Mortuary to identify the dead, enduring morning downpour as grief and shock rippled through the community.
The somber atmosphere deepened as graphic videos circulated overnight on social media, showing real-time images of bodies at the crash site.
“My son Pius Magala was also part of the people who have perished,” said a grieving father, Robert Katongole of Hoima City.
Another mourner, overwhelmed with sorrow, shared: “In this video, I’ve just seen a friend of mine called Denis. It’s heartbreaking. Imagine identifying your friend through a video.”
According to traffic police, 19 people died on the spot, while 13 others were injured and rushed to nearby hospitals, where some remain in critical condition.
Mobile trader Gorret Kimuli narrowly escaped death after choosing to travel separately.
“I avoided the lorry and took a taxi instead. That decision saved my life,” she told this publication .
Husana Agaba, a resident of Kyarwabuyamba Cell in Hoima West Division, lost two relatives in the crash.
“My relatives set off early Tuesday morning. I was shocked to hear the lorry they used overturned near Hillside Secondary School. I have identified one body; the other is still missing,” he said.
Another resident, Stuart Kugonza, mourned the loss of his best friend, Anthony, an electronics trader.
“It is heartbreaking. Anthony was not just a friend but like a brother to me,” he said Wednesday morning.
Mobile trader Gertrude Kasango described the crash as unprecedented.
“As traders in this region, we are devastated. We have never recorded an accident of this magnitude, and it is alarming,” she said.