johannesburg, south africa
AP
—
At least 42 people were killed and 49 passengers were injured when a bus veered off the road and into an embankment on a rugged mountain pass in northern South Africa, authorities said Monday.
The accident occurred around 6pm local time on National Highway 1 near the town of Louis Trichard, about 400 kilometers north of the capital Pretoria.
The Ministry of Transport said in a statement that the victims included seven children, 17 men and 18 women. The statement said six people were seriously injured and another 31 people were taken to multiple hospitals with serious injuries. The ministry said one seriously injured child was airlifted to a hospital.
Images released by authorities showed the blue bus lying upside down on an embankment as rescue workers searched for victims underneath.
The Limpopo provincial government said rescue operations continued until late Sunday night.
The transport ministry said the bus was bound for Zimbabwe, carrying Zimbabweans and Malawians heading to their home countries. The cause of the crash is not yet known.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement: “My deepest condolences go to the countries of Zimbabwe and Malawi for the loss of their compatriots.”
“The sadness is compounded by the fact that this incident occurred during the annual Traffic Month, which places special emphasis on the importance of road safety,” Ramaphosa said.
Last year, 45 people were killed when a bus veered off a bridge and into a ravine in Limpopo province. The only survivor of the crash was an 8-year-old girl. The bus was mainly carrying Botswana nationals heading to an Easter church gathering in South Africa.
