15 passengers killed, 24 injured following Eastern Province bus accident

A head-on collision involving a coaster bus and a minibus has left more than a dozen passengers dead and others in critical condition. The accident occurred early Tuesday morning along the Kagitumba-Kigali highway in Kabeza, Ndatemwa Village, Gatsibo District. One taxi was heading to Kigali while the other was heading towards Kagitumba. According to Kiziguro Sector Executive secretary, Epiphanie Kavutse who arrived at the scene of the accident immediately after the accident, the number of dead was well over 12 people. “This is unbelievable road carnage. The Coaster taxi bus was carrying over 32 people, while the small taxi locally known as ‘twegerane’ they collided, had over 15 passengers. We have not counted all the dead, but the number far exceeds 12,” she said. Kavutse told The New Times that some bodies were still trapped inside mangled vehicles. “We are not settled, everyone is moving up and down to see if we can save lives…People are struggling to remove bodies and injured stuck in the buses. I am afraid the final figure may be shocking”. Residents said the accident occurred in one of the most notorious ‘blind spots’ on the highway. According to them, accidents occurred in the exact spot countless times. “The coaster was over-speeding and yet there is a sharp corner in the area…there is no doubt that the accident was caused by reckless driving, characteristic of all Coaster taxis,” said an eyewitness to the accident only identified as Karangwa. Meanwhile, the police was too busy rescuing the victims to respond to our calls by press time. UPDATE: Rwanda National Police have confirmed on Twitter that an Excel coaster with registration number RAB 873 U driven by Sylvien Ndayisaba collided with a Hiace with registration number RAB 994 M. According to the Police, so far 15 people have died, 24 are injured and six who are critically injured have been rushed to King Faisal Hospital while others are at Kiziguro Hospital.