“We Still Remember” — Eight Years Since the Karatu School Bus Tragedy That Shook Tanzania

Eight years have passed since Tanzania was devastated by the Karatu school bus tragedy, which claimed the lives of 32 children, two teachers, and a driver on May 6, 2017. The heartbreaking accident remains one of the darkest moments in the nation’s history.

The students from Lucky Vincent Primary School in Arusha were traveling to take a mock national exam — a milestone of pride and promise — when their bus skidded off a rain-soaked road in the mountainous Karatu district and plunged into a ravine.

The tragedy united the nation in grief, sparking an outpouring of condolences and renewed calls for improved road safety measures. Today, Tanzania continues to remember the young lives lost — children whose dreams were cut short but whose memory lives on in the hearts of many.