The police in Eastern Equatoria State have confirmed that a 22-year-old man identified as Innocent Obale Onyango died after falling off a moving tipper truck in Kor Lahbata along the Torit-Juba road on Sunday.
According to the police, the truck with registration SSD 184N was heavily loaded with goods and more than 50 passengers traveling from Magwi to Juba via Torit.
Lieutenant Adam Satiro, the director of crime in the Eastern Equatoria State traffic police department told Radio Tamazuj Monday that the deceased fell off the truck and his head was crushed by the same truck.
“At 3:44 pm (Sunday), there was a vehicle moving from Magwi loaded with goods and passengers. It had earlier delivered a dead body to Magwi from Juba and it was taking mourners back to Juba,” Lt. Satiro explained. “After reaching Khor Lahbata, one of the passengers fell off towards the front of the truck and it moved over his head.”
He added: “The name of the deceased is Innocent Obale, 22, Acholi by tribe, and the driver is called James Oyo Charles, 44, from Acholi also.”
For his part, Colonel Mathew Ochan, the police spokesperson in Torit Central Division, confirmed the incident and said the driver has been detained by awaiting trial while the body of the deceased has been taken for burial in his home village of Parajok in Magwi County.
“One passenger fell off the truck and the vehicle smashed his head. The road was good and the passenger just fell alone. The driver is in police custody here in Torit and the truck has been detained and investigation is ongoing,” Col. Ochan said. “The relatives of the late took the body for burial.”
He said the traffic police will investigate the cause of the incident and thereafter forward the file to the court.