Entebbe, Uganda - The head of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Entebbe, Pastor Paul Kyeswa, with three members of his church were on Friday killed in a car accident as they were travelling to Masaka to attend the burial of their colleague.
The incident happened weeks after two Anglican bishops were injured in a car accident on their way to attend burial of the late Bishop Patrick Kyaligonza. The tragedy that happened at Mpanga forest reserve in Mpigi District sent shock waves through Entebbe populace. "The heavy rains and winds brought down a tree that hit our taxi on our way to Masaka killing our friends and causing me serious body injuries," Mr William Kasozi, a church elder at Kitooro SDA and an accident survivor said. "I heard a sound of a tree cracking and the next thing was to see myself on an ambulance to hospital with many of my colleagues bleeding."
Mr Kasozi who narrated the tragedy to mourners at a requiem mass at Entebbe SDA said he recalls having seen some of his colleagues lying in a pool of blood after he was rescued from the taxi that was smashed completely.
Mr Steven Kabuye, a church elder in Entebbe SDA and the Entebbe mayor, identified the dead as Ivan Ssentongo, Ms Sarah Kazibwe, Ibrahim Mbuttu and the church pastor, Paul Kyeswa. "It was horrible to see residents using axes to cut the car and rescue our fellow colleagues," Mr Richard Ssetimba another survivor divulged.
Shocking news
He said he received the shocking news while in his office and quickly requested for an ambulance from Entebbe Hospital to rescue the victims though it found most of them had been taken to Mulago.
Recently Bishop Daniel Gimadu of North Mbale Diocese and Bishop Augustine Salimo of Sebei Diocese were admitted to Mulago Hospital after sustaining serious injuries in an accident when the driver failed to negotiate a sharp corner near Fort Portal town. Gimadu's wife, Perepetua, died on the way to Fort Portal Hospital.