Eleven people were killed and fourteen others injured when a bus and truck collided on the Badplaas Road, approximately 3km outside of Machadodorp in Mpumalanga on Tuesday morning.
ER24 paramedic's spokesperson, Russel Meiring, said paramedics found the bus lying on its side on the side of the road while the truck had come to a stop in the middle of the road a short distance away.
"Upon closer inspection, paramedics found several passengers lying trapped inside the bus while numerous more were found walking around on the scene. Several patients were also found lying trapped beneath the overturned bus," Meiring said.
"Paramedics immediately went to work assessing the patients while rescue services, utilising specialised tools, freed the patients from the bus. Upon further assessment, paramedics discovered that a total of eleven patients had sustained fatal injuries. Nothing could be done for the patients and they were declared dead on the scene," he said.
Meiring said two passengers sustained critical injuries and 12 others sustained minor to moderate injuries and were treated on the scene.
"Once treated, one critically injured patient was airlifted by a Provincial Medical helicopter to Mediclinic Nelspruit. The remaining patients were transported by ambulance to various hospitals in the area for urgent treatment," Meiring said.
Meiring added that the details surrounding the incident were not yet known and that local authorities were on the scene to investigate.
