An SSPDF officer identified as Captain Peter Mayol was knocked dead by a bus belonging to Eco Bus Company and eighteen passengers were wounded when the vehicle subsequently overturned around the Jebel Milee area in Nimule town in Eastern Equatoria State on Sunday.
The bus company, which frequent travelers have considered reliable, plies the Juba-Kampala route and their bus knocked the soldier while he was waiting for transportation to the border town of Nimule.
Major Elliza Bil Mapwor, the Director of Traffic Police in Nimule, told Radio Tamazuj that the injured passengers were rushed to Nimule Hospital for treatment and that the bus driver has been detained.
She said the bus was speeding and overturned several times after knocking the SSPDF officer dead but that none of the passengers died.
“The Eco bus was coming and it seems it had problems with its breaks. Someone who was crossing the road was knocked down, a captain of SSPDF called Peter Mayol, aged 47. He was standing along the roadside trying to board a vehicle to come to Nimule but was knocked dead,” Maj. Bil explained. “So, the vehicle (bus) was speeding until it overturned. When it overturned, some people (passengers) on board were only injured with no deaths. The 18 injured were taken to Nimule Hospital.”
Meanwhile, Silvester Nyuma, the Medical Director at Nimule Civil Hospital, said that out of the injured passengers, 3 were in critical condition while 13 were treated as outpatients. One passenger who developed critical chest pain was referred to Juba Teaching Hospital for further medication.
“On Sunday, 17 people were involved in an accident and one died while 16 were brought to the hospital. Among the sixteen, 7 were female and 9 were male,” he stated. “13 patients were handled as outpatients because their injuries were minor and they went home. 3 of them were admitted because they were in severe pain and one of them was discharged yesterday (Monday). Today (Tuesday) one patient who has been experiencing very severe chest pain was referred to Juba and one is still in the ward.”