Twenty-seven Kampala blast victims have so far been received at Mulago hospital, the deputy director of the National Referral Hospital at Mulago, Dr Rosemary Byanyima, has revealed.
“Most of the patients have been stabilised and are responding well apart from seven of the victims who are in critical condition,” said Dr Rosemary Byanyima.
Irene Nakasiita, Uganda Red Cross communications manager said they have deployed ambulances to help the injured in the city.
She says there was no information on the dead but says there were a number of broken limbs and body parts in the medical facility near the scene of the explosions.
State Minister for Information, Godfrey Kabyanga tweeted: “There has been a bomb explosion at the headquarters of the ministry of ICT. All of us are safe. A few colleagues were hurt by flying window glasses and debris.” That was in reference to the blast on Parliament Avenue.
Deputy speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, who asked for suspension of the sitting of the House, tweeted: “I ask the country to rally behind our security agencies as they deal with this situation and may we more than ever, stand together as a country and defeat the cowards planning evil against our people. God bless you, God bless our beautiful Country.”
Meanwhile, a suspected bomb has been reported in Nansana, a city suburb as police warned of more possible blasts in the city.
Uganda police are at the moment making an address, providing details of the fatalities and damage following two blasts that went off Tuesday morning, killing several people, injuring others and damaging billions worth of property in Kampala’s central business district.
At one o’clock, Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of counterterrorism Abbas Byakagaba arrived at Parliament Avenue to lead a team of forensic experts that will scour the scene for clues on the blast that eyewitnesses said was more lethal.
“This was deadly. I still don’t know how I survived. I was talking to a customer, and there was this loud explosion. In that very second, my customer lay dead,” said Joy Nakimuli, a vendor outside Raja Chambers where one of the blasts went off in the Tuesday mid-morning hours.
As Ms Nakimuli narrated her ordeal, her blouse was covered in pieces of blood.
She sustained deep wounds on her leg and sprained her ankle in the scuffle while running for dear life.
A second explosion was at Kooki Towers, opposite Central Police Station.
“The situation is still worrying…it can’t be under control, not yet,” said Deputy Spokesperson of Kampala Metropolitan Police Luke Owoyesigire told The EastAfrican.
“We have gathered a lot of information, many people killed, but details will be given at the press briefing,” he added.
However, other security officials say a suicide bomber detonated a bomb outside Raja Chambers, a commercial building that the police have designated the main scene of crime, along with Jubilee Insurance Centre, both on Parliament Avenue.
Parliament Avenue has a host of key Uganda government offices, including Parliament, the Ministries of Information, Trade, Lands and Justice and Constitutional Affairs, as well as the Inspectorate of Government, Capital Markets Authority and Uganda Prisons Service head office.
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