At least five people were killed, and 18 others injured after a 22-seater bus overturned on the N6 near Queenstown in the direction of Jamestown on Wednesday morning.
Provincial traffic spokesperson, Charles Bramwell, said the accident happened just after 5 am. He said the driver of the vehicle lost control.
He said 18 people were taken to hospital, with five in serious condition.
The crash victims included three women, the male driver and a minor.
Bramwell said it is suspected that the driver had fallen asleep. “A case of culpable homicide is being investigated.”
This brings to six the number of people killed in accidents on Eastern Cape roads in the past 24 hours.
On Tuesday, a person was killed and two others seriously injured in an accident on the R-72 near Kenton on Sea.
Bramwell said the driver of a delivery truck died after his vehicle was involved in a collision with a car.
Meanwhile, Eastern Cape Transport MEC, Weziwe Tikana will officially launch the 2017 Festive Season Road Safety Campaign near Mqanduli in the O.R. Tambo District Municipality on Wednesday.
The Department said the festive season period “is generally characterised by high traffic volumes on different routes in the Eastern Cape.”
MEC Tikana said fatalities over this period have remained unacceptably high, with alcohol consumption being one of the major contributing factors.
During the launch, the MEC will also announce other measures to be used in the fight against road accidents, including the introduction of additional trucks to be used for impounding stray animals.
