KAMPALA — Nineteen people died when a fuel truck barrelled into other vehicles in a busy town in western Uganda and exploded, police said on Monday.

The blast occurred on Sunday evening in the Kyambura trading center, a mountainous area near the Queen Elizabeth National Park.

"Ten people died instantly when the fuel truck lost control and hit three other vehicles, leading to multiple explosions that also burned 25 small shops," said regional police spokesman Martial Tumusiime.

"Of the people that were rushed to the hospital, nine of them have also died as a result of wounds," he added.

In 2002, 70 people were killed when an oil truck rammed into a bus in Rutoto, less than 50 km from Kyambura.

And in 2013, 33 people died in an explosion after a fuel truck overturned — many having rushed to the scene to siphon fuel.

The accident in Uganda came eight days after a fuel truck exploded in Tanzania. The fireball engulfed a crowd thronging to collect petrol from the wrecked vehicle, leaving 95 dead. — AFP