Fuel truck blast in Uganda leaves 19 dead.

At least 19 people were killed when a fuel truck exploded after losing control and ramming into three cars in western Uganda on Sunday, police said in a statement.

The blast occurred 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.

Fatal road crashes are frequent in the East African country, often the result of lax law enforcement poorly serviced vehicles and potholed roads.

In 2002, 70 people were killed when an oil truck rammed into a bus in Rutoto, less than 50 kilometers (30 miles) 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.