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15 traders died and twenty got severely injured Saturday night when a lorry they were traveling in overturned in Kamuli district, in eastern Uganda.

According to eastern region police commander, Christoper Okubayi, the lorry was carrying traders from Kidera market to Kamuli when it overturned at a place called Nawantale, about 140 kilometres west of Uganda’s capital Kampala.

"The accident occured at around 7.00 pm last night when a front tyre of a lorry carrying 48 traders burst, the driver lost control and the lorry overturned. The traders were returning from selling their merchandise at a weekly market. 10 died at the spot and the others died on way to hopsital, Okubayi said.

Okubayi attributed the accident to overspeeding. He indicated that if the driver had not been over speeding, the accident would not have been that fatal even with the tyre bursting.

According to police reports, over 10,000 Ugandans die each year in road accidents. The main cause of the accidents is reckless driving and poor condition of the roads.

Although there have been constant road repair works by the government, a good number of them still have deep potholes.