14 people killed in collision between truck and taxi van, says Uganda police

A collision between a passenger van operating as a commuter taxi and a truck carrying sand killed at least 14 people in Uganda, police said.

The crash happened Monday night on a highway in Kamunga Trading Centre, an area in Kalungu district. All of those killed were passengers in the van, while four others were injured, police said in a statement.

Authorities in the East African nation said they were searching for the truck driver, who fled the scene. Road accidents are a problem across Africa and common in Uganda. The accidents often are blamed on poorly maintained vehicles, excess speed and poor road conditions. An elementary school bus returning from an educational trip to a scenic waterfall in July veered off a road and overturned, killing at least 20 children and one adult in eastern Uganda.