At least 40 people have died in a road accident involving a passenger bus, a tractor and a beer truck in Northern Uganda, the country’s Red Cross said on Saturday.

The police had initially put the death toll at 19, but the Red Cross said on their official Twitter page that the accident had “claimed over 40 lives.’’

The accident occurred late on Friday near Kiryandongo, about 260 kilometers from Kampala, police spokesman Emilian Kayima said, adding that children were among the dead.

The bus “rammed into a tractor and hit it badly, rolled and hit another beer truck,’’ he said in a statement.

“Evacuation teams are working tirelessly to rescue the injured. Reinforcement is being organised to support the rescue services,’’ Kayima added, without saying how many were injured.

Bus accidents are common on Ugandan roads and are blamed on speeding, drunken driving and the poor mechanical condition of the vehicles.