Twelve people have been killed and 15 others seriously injured in a horror bus crash on a rural road in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands in the first major road crash since the start of the Easter holidays, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) said on Saturday.
“The crash happened on [the] Middelsdrift Road between Kranskop and Inkandla this morning [Saturday] when a bus that is believed to have been transporting people to a traditional wedding went down a steep embankment,” RTMC spokesman Simon Zwane said.
The injured were taken to the nearby Untunjambili Hospital where some were in a critical condition while others were in a serious condition. The RTMC was investigating allegations that the bus was in an unroadworthy condition, he said.
“It has been alleged that the driver was on his way from the village named Homestead to Vumbu when he lost control over the bus. The bus left the road, overturned, and rolled down an embankment for at least a 100 metres before coming to [a] rest.
“The precise cause of the crash is still being investigated. A case of culpable homicide is being investigated by the SAPS [South African Police Service] in Kranskop,” Zwane said.
According to a statement on the Arrive Alive website, KwaZulu-Natal health department emergency medical services (EMS) paramedics responded to the scene near Untunjambili in the Wosi area, near the Vukeka school in the ILembe district just before 11am.
“Tragically 12 people have sustained fatal injuries in this crash. Paramedics have treated a total of 15 patients at the scene. Eight patients were in a critical condition while the remaining seven patients were seriously injured.”
The injured were stabilised at the scene before being transported to hospital for continued medical care. The bus had been travelling from Bergville carrying 27 passengers, the statement said.
– African News Agency (ANA)
