Uganda’s government has suspended all school trips in the wake of Thursday evening’s bus crash that killed at least 20 pupils and one adult who were taking part in an educational tour.
Dozens of others, including staff, were injured in the accident in Kapchorwa district, eastern Uganda.
Preliminary investigations suggest the bus had a mechanical fault before the driver lost control on Chekwatit Hill, a stretch of road that has been the site of several serious crashes, according to local officials.
Uganda records thousands of road deaths a year but this incident is one of the country’s deadliest involving children in recent times.
“As an immediate precautionary measure, we must do something about the safety of our children,” Education Minister John Chrysostom Muyingo said, announcing the temporary ban on trips until a full investigation was completed.
“The nation has suffered a great loss, I would like us to work hand in hand so that those who survived are well taken care of,” he added.
Traffic police spokesman Michael Kananura described what had happened on Thursday.
“The driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle, which veered off the road, struck a large stone along the roadside, and overturned,” he said.