The death toll from a horror smash involving a bus and a truck on the Badplaas Road approximately 3km outside of Machadodorp in Mpumalanga on Tuesday morning has risen to 18.
ER24 Emergency Services reported earlier that 11 people had been killed and 14 others injured in the accident.
ER24's Russel Meiring says they've been notified that the number of fatalities has risen to 18.
Sixteen people died on the scene and another two people succumbed to their injuries in hospital.
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 several patients had sustained fatal injuries. Nothing could be done for the patients and they were declared dead on the scene," he said.
Meiring said 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 said local authorities were investigating the cause of the accident.
