14 DAY TRIAL // 24 people have died and several others have been injured as a bus veered off the street and rolled over, in South Africa.
According to Times Live, the bus crashed on the Hex River Pass in the proximity of De Doorns, Friday morning, March 15.
Western Cape health department spokesperson Faiza Steyn describes that two children on board have died in the crash.
“We have 15 fatalities, 12 red cases, 14 yellow cases and 20 minor cases,” authorities were saying in the morning as they revealed one of their preliminary tolls.
Out of around 60 passengers, more recent accounts confirm 14 as critically injured. The others have sustained minor, non-life-threatening wounds.
“There are still people trapped in the bus, as well as the driver, and we are pulling up the bus now,” Western Cape traffic chief Kenny Africa reports.
He adds that the vehicle was headed to Cape Town when it swerved off the road. Africa also mentions a human error being involved, as the driver lost control of the bus.
ER24 spokeswoman Vanessa Jackson details that the bus was a double-decker, and that it smashed into the mountainous landscape as it went off the roadway.
Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) spokesperson Petros Sithole has released a statement suggesting that the road was slippery as rain was reported in the area at that time.
“This is a terrible tragedy. We urge people to be extra cautious when it is raining and to follow all the rules of the road,” Sithole says.
“The traffic cops and police should investigate whether the bus was overloaded and if so, we would expect the necessary criminal charges to be laid against the bus driver,” he adds.
Eye Witness News details that a crane has been brought in to move the bus, allowing emergency personnel to free and treat passengers, while the N1 Highway in the Hex River Pass section is on lockdown.