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Gallery|In Pictures

At least three killed as explosions rock Uganda’s capital

Explosions cause chaos in Kampala as terrified residents flee the city’s centre.

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A firefighter sprays water to extinguish a fire caused by a bomb explosion near the parliament building in Kampala. [Ivan Kabuye/AFP]
By News Agencies
Published On 16 Nov 202116 Nov 2021

At least three people have been killed and dozens of others wounded after two explosions rocked Uganda’s capital, Kampala, in what police described as a coordinated attack.

Police spokesman Fred Enanga said 33 people were being treated at the city’s main public referral hospital. Five were critically injured, he said.

Three suicide bombers also died in the blasts, police said. The explosions caused chaos in Kampala as terrified residents fled the city’s centre.

The explosions occurred within three minutes of each other. Both were carried out by attackers carrying explosives. A possible attack on a third target was foiled by police who pursued and disarmed a suspected suicide bomber, Enanga said.

One bomb exploded near a police station and the other on a street near the parliamentary building, according to police and witnesses. The explosion near parliament appeared to hit closer to a building housing an insurance company and the subsequent fire engulfed cars parked outside.

Body parts were seen scattered in the street, and later some legislators were seen evacuating the parliamentary building nearby.

Video footage circulating on social media showed people fleeing after the attacks, many on passenger motorcycles, as police cordoned off wide areas near the blast scenes.

Ugandan officials have been urging vigilance following a string of bomb explosions in recent weeks.

Two explosions hit Uganda's capital Kampala in what police termed an attack on the city, the latest in a string of blasts in the country. [Ivan Kabuye/AFP]
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The explosions occurred in the central business district of Kampala near the central police station and the entrance to parliament, police said. [Ivan Kabuye/AFP]
Members of Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) walk near the site of one of the explosions. [Sumy Sadruni/AFP]
Ambulances wait to evacuate wounded people near the scene of a blast on a street near the parliamentary building. [Ronald Kabuubi/AP Photo]
Medical staff at Mulago hospital prepare a stretcher to receive victims of a bomb explosion. [Sumy Sadruni/AFP]
Destroyed vehicles are seen at the scene of a blast in downtown Kampala. [Nicholas Bamulanzeki/AP Photo]
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Police officers secure the explosion site near the parliament building. [Sumy Sadruni/AFP]

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