One person died on the spot and another was seriously injured in an overnight accident in Gakenke District, Police said. The accident occurred on Saturday night at around 8pm in Kivuruga Sector. Inspector of Police Elvis Munyaneza, the acting Police spokesperson for northern region, confirmed the incident, saying it might have been caused by speeding. The truck, with Tanzania registration number, was transporting engine oil from Uganda to Rubavu town in Western Province. The deceased, who was the driver, was only identified as Assouman and his body was taken to Nemba Hospital for post-mortem, while the injured was being treated at Ruhengeri Hospital in Musanze District. Munyaneza said the preliminary investigations revealed that the truck was speeding when it veered off the road after the driver apparently failed to negotiate a turn on the road. “What is clear is that the driver failed to control the truck due to speeding,” Munyaneza said. He urged motorists to be vigilant and respect traffic regulations, especially drivers not used to Rwandan roads. Witnesses told The New Times that it was fortunate that no body else perished in the incident and that if it had involved other vehicles on the road, the result would have been more tragic. “It was around 8:30am when I saw the truck speed past. Clearly, the speed was not normal for that stretch of road, and shortly afterwards we heard a loud bang and then saw the truck off road,” said a witness only identified as Ngarukiyintwari. “We ran to the scene to try and rescue the occupants but could only get one person alive as the driver’s lifeless body was stuck in the wreckage.” editorial@newtimes.co.rw
