Amolatar, Uganda | Nine people have lost their lives in a boat accident on Lake Kyoga, leaving the community of Amolatar in deep mourning.
The accident occurred on Friday morning near Kiryanga Village in Acii Sub County when a vessel carrying 36 passengers struck a stationary log about 400 metres from the landing site and overturned.
Police confirmed the boat was overloaded.
Amolatar District leaders said six bodies were retrieved from the lake, while three others, including a pregnant woman, died at Amolatar Health Centre IV.
Eleven survivors admitted at the facility are now in stable condition.
In the wake of the tragedy, Kioga County parliamentary aspirant, Rtd. Col. Dr. John Francis Ongia, stepped in to support the bereaved families.
Represented by Bonny Aloka, Ongia provided 100,000 shillings to each family to help them transport their loved ones’ bodies back home.
Rtd. Col. Dr. Ongia expressed deep sorrow at the loss, noting that losing nine people at once is a heavy blow to the community.
His representative, Aloka, urged the affected families to make proper burial arrangements and inform the wider Ochora community so that friends and relatives can attend and pay their last respects.
Aloka observed that the entire area was in shock, stressing that the loss of nine lives in a single incident is a major tragedy for Amolatar.
The passengers were travelling from Muchora Abino A Village to Kiryanga to escort their catechist, Oduno Alfred of Muchora Protestant Church, who was attending the burial of his sister, Abuni Joyce.
Local leaders reminded authorities that parts of Acii Sub County were submerged by waters of Lakes Kyoga and Kwania about five years ago, turning the area into an island where boats remain the only means of transport.
