An unidentified patient has been found dead after falling into a water tank at Nebbi Hospital in Northern Uganda.
The hospital administrator, Mr Christopher Ongom, said the patient was last night taken to the facility by police while unconscious before he was admitted in the emergency ward.
He reportedly escaped from the ward this morning before was later found dead in the water tank.
According to Ongom, the patient fell into the tank which was full of water with the estimated capacity of 20,000 liters mounted against the retained wall below the ground surface.
The patient had been rushed to the hospital by police after a mob attack on allegations of theft.
“The patient was brought to the facility at midnight by police and was admitted in the emergency unit bearing bruises all over his body. However, after gaining some consciousness, he escaped from the unit and was found dead in the water tank. We reported the matter to police and the body was retrieved,” he said.
Mr Ethan Omirambe, a security guard at the hospital, said he heard a sound of splashing water in the direction of the emergency unit.
“I immediately reported the incident to my boss who later instructed me to run to the police to report the same incident in the same night,” Omirambe said.
The District Police Commander, Mr Filbert Waibi, said they are waiting for relatives to claim the body.
“We removed the body from the hospital water tank and handed it to hospital management waiting for relatives to come and identify the body,” Mr Waibi said.
This is the first time such a case has been reported at the hospital.