KAMPALA, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Nine people died and 13 others were injured in a road accident in the eastern Ugandan district of Mayuge on Monday, a police spokesperson in the region said.
James Mubi, Busoga East police spokesperson told Xinhua by telephone that the accident, which involved two passenger service vans, was caused by reckless driving by one of the drivers who tried to overtake and ended up ramming into an on-coming van.
"One of the drivers was not patient. He underestimated the space between the vehicle in front of him and the one coming from the opposite direction," Mubi said.
He said the injured were rushed to two hospitals in neighboring Jinja and Iganga districts.
The police officer warned motorists to be patient before overtaking, as well as avoid speeding when approaching sharp bends.
Uganda registers about 20,000 accidents each year, with some 2,000 deaths, making it one of the countries with the highest road traffic death rates, according to police statistics.
