KAMPALA, July 8 (Xinhua) -- At least 14 people were killed and 28 others critically injured after a passenger bus collided head-on with a trailer on the Kampala-Gulu Highway in northern Uganda, police said on Wednesday.

The crash occurred on Tuesday night at Bobi Trading Center along the highway, involving an Isuzu passenger bus and a Mercedes-Benz Actros trailer, according to a post by the Uganda Police Force on the social media platform X.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the bus driver, who was allegedly speeding, lost control of the vehicle while attempting to avoid a pedestrian crossing the road and collided with the oncoming trailer, police said.

Police confirmed that 14 people died at the scene. Another 28 people sustained critical injuries and were rushed to nearby health facilities for treatment.

Police urged motorists to observe speed limits, particularly at night when visibility is reduced, and to exercise extra caution in trading centers where pedestrians frequently cross roads unexpectedly.

Road traffic accidents remain a major public safety concern in Uganda. Police have repeatedly attributed many fatal crashes to speeding, dangerous overtaking and driver negligence.