At least 20 schoolchildren and one adult have died after a school bus crashed in eastern Uganda, in one of the country's deadliest road accidents involving children in recent years. The bus, carrying pupils from King David Junior School in Ndejje, was returning from a study trip to the Sipi Falls tourist area on Thursday evening when it crashed in the Kapchorwa district, prompting fresh concern over school transport safety after several other serious bus accidents in the country in recent weeks.

Preliminary investigations suggest the bus suffered a mechanical fault before the driver lost control on Chekwatit Hill, a road that has seen several previous serious crashes, causing the vehicle to veer off, strike a large stone and overturn. Police said the crash happened at around 20:00 local time in Chekwatit village. Among those killed was Tadeo Ssekade, the school's founder and director, while dozens of others, including staff, were injured. Uganda records thousands of road deaths annually, with speeding, poorly maintained vehicles and dangerous roads cited as the leading causes.