Gaagaa Coach Bus burned into ashes

On 9 April 2014, a bus called “Gaagaa Coach” operating Bujumbura- Kampala caught fire. It was coming from Uganda to Burundi. Everything inside burned.-By Yves Didier Irakoze

A Gaagaa Coach Bus after burning.©Iwacu

It was 2:30 am when the incident occurred. The bus was leaving not so far from Gatuna border (Uganda) to Kigali (Rwanda). All 64 passengers on board escaped miraculously; they were safe and sound except their luggage and goods. N. J. said that he heard a sound of a collision from a part of a tyre; at that time, the driver started to slow down the speed. After about half an hour, the incident occurred. «I was sitting on the back seat. Because of the bumps that were disturbing as I’m pregnant, I changed the place and went to sit to another place. I left there because of a bad smell of a burning tyre,” states I. M., one of the passengers. She went on saying that after some hours they heard a big sound of something exploding. Then, the car stopped and passengers who got out, alerted everybody inside about the fire. So, passengers passed through windscreen and at the door to escape. “Only one person was slightly burned,” declares I.M. “What surprised and angered us was that the extinguisher was empty. The bus should be checked very carefully before leaving. Consequently, the bus as well as our goods burned into ashes,” deplores Aline Nijimbere, a business woman. She added that they tried to use sand to extinguish the fire, but in vain, it was too late. According to her, nothing was rescued especially goods and we don’t know how we will get paid back. “It was a horrible scene to see the bus and our goods burning into ashes without being able to save them. We cried and were sorrowful because it reminded us when the Central Market burned last year. Some of us got bank loans, so what are we going to become?” sadly states N.J.

The company manager ensures

“I know and feel sorry for the victims. I promise that in three weeks I will pay back their goods for those who have the bill. I will ease the process to pay them and discuss with the insurance company,” reports Noah, the Assistant manager of Gaagaa Coach Company Bujumbura-Kampala. Though the manager ensures, the passengers who lost their goods do not believe it at all, they fear and think that the manager won’t respect the promise. “At the beginning, the manager said that he would handle the issue in 8 days but he didn’t do anything. And now he says in 3 weeks but he hasn’t yet called us to discuss the issue. He only overlooks it,” states Sibomana. He concludes saying that the manager should urgently talk with them and clear the issue on how the payment process will be done urgently. He also requests the government to help them in that struggle.