At least nine passengers sustained serious injuries after a vehicle belonging to the humanitarian organization Care International collided with an SSPDF vehicle in the Kor Muz area along the Torit-Magwi Road in Eastern Equatoria State over the weekend.
This accident happened when another vehicle belonging to another humanitarian organization, AVSI, blocked the road at a junction leading to the two speeding vehicles of Care International and SSPDF colliding after trying to avoid the parked car.
According to officials, four passengers sustained critical injuries and were referred to Juba while the other five were admitted at Torit State Hospital.
Adam Satiro, the director of crime at Eastern Equatoria State traffic police office, told Radio Tamazuj that the two vehicles were speeding and this was the cause of the accident. He said the road from Torit to Magwi is in a bad state.
“There was a vehicle belonging to Care travelling to Magwi and a landcruiser was also coming from Magwi to Torit. On reaching a certain corner, they collided and the vehicle going from Torit was carrying five people and the one coming from Magwi was also carrying five passengers,” he explained. “The accident was serious and all those in the vehicles were injured except for one person. Four of them were referred to Juba and the rest are being attended at Torit State Hospital. Nine people were injured, all men.”
Satiro added: “I am urging drivers using the Magwi road to drive slowly because the road is not good and full of corners.”
For his part, Changa Thomas Oker, a surgeon at Torit State Hospital, confirmed that they received the injured passengers.
“There was an accident that happened but there were no serious injuries. It was only a driver who sustained a fracture on his left humerus (upper hand) but the rest of the passengers sustained blunt trauma so they requested a referral,” he said. “They requested for referrals. We checked their X-rays and they were all okay.”
Vitale Abure, a local activist, cautioned drivers against speeding and called on the government and developmental partners to improve roads linking counties, payams, and bomas.
“Passengers should tell the driver to slow down if he is speeding because the roads in our State are not good. We are appealing to the government because the roads in Torit are not good and not fit to be seen in the capital of Eastern Equatoria State,” he said. most of our roads are not good and we are “Leadership is not just about staying on the chair but about delivering services like the roads, public institutions and making people happy when we are enjoying the services.”