A road accident took the lives of  57 soldiers and 15 civilians in eastern Uganda, the military informed on Monday.

The tragic accident occurred late Sunday in the eastern district of Kapchorwa, that is bordering the Republic of Kenya in the east and south. More than 100 soldiers and their families were moving to an army base when the truck crashed in a mountainous region for unknown reasons, police speculating that a brake failure caused the accident.

An army spokesman said thirteen women and two children died, while 31 servicemen were also injured.

“This was a tragic accident. This was the biggest toll we have ever had in a road accident. The injured soldiers were rushed to Mbale and Tororo hospitals,” Felix Kulayigye said Monday.

The military launched an investigation in order to determine the exact cause of the accident and whether the vehicle was overloaded. The truck was crossing through a region with abrupt and narrow roads.

Almost 2,000 people die each year in car crashes in Uganda, most of the causes being the precarious condition of the transportation infrastructure and unsafe vehicles.