Four people died on the spot and six others sustained serious injuries when a truck veered off the road and rammed into Gisenyi Hospital perimeter fence on the Musanze-Rubavu highway.

The fatal accident took place on Saturday, February 15 at around 1:00pm, according to eyewitnesses.

The truck, with a Tanzanian registration number (T348CKW-T909BGK) was loaded with fish and was on its way to Rubavu before it lost control hitting pedestrians before ramming into the hospital fence.

The deceased were identified as Alipha Niyobuhungiro, 15, Husna Niyobuhungiro and two others whose identity was yet to be known at press time.

The injured were admitted to Gisenyi Hospital for treatment, according to Dr William Kanyankore, the hospital director.

Black spot

Rubavu residents and local officials described the scene of the accident as a black spot where several accidents have occurred previously due to the steep nature of the road.

A previous fatal accident occurred at the same spot last year on October 2nd and involved an officer from the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB).

Speaking to The New Times, Senior Superintendent Jean-Marie Vianney Ndushabandi, the spokesperson of the Traffic Police department, attributed the accident to failure of the braking system.

He went on to say that besides casualties who were known, there were a number of other casualties who were yet to be retrieved beneath the truck.

"As we speak some casualties are still beneath the truck, we are doing our best to retrieve them," he noted

Ndushabandi urged drivers, especially those who drive heavy-duty trucks, to be cautious while driving on steep roads.