KAMPALA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Eleven people died on spot and 22 others sustained injuries when a lorry they were travelling in crushed in Uganda's southwestern district of Kisoro on Monday, a police spokesman has said.

Patrick Onyango, deputy police spokesperson, said in a statement that the lorry that was carrying over 30 local traders with their merchandise overturned several times along the Kisoro-Kabale Highway at a corner near Kigowa village.

It was carrying local business people from Rubanda, Kabale, going to a weekly market in Kisoro.

Charles Okoto, Kisoro District Police Commander, told Xinhua by telephone that the driver of the lorry who is now on the run, failed to negotiate a sharp corner thereby leading to the fatal accident.

Okoto said tt is possible the driver was driving under the influence of alcohol.

Uganda registers at least 20,000 accidents with over 2,000 deaths each year, making it one of the countries with the highest road accident fatality rates in the world, according to police.

At least 3,500 people perished in road accidents in the East African country in 2017, according to the police annual crime and traffic road safety report released recently.