At least four people have been killed and more than 40 injured when a bus overturned on the N1 outside Botlokwa in Limpopo. The injured have been taken to various hospitals.
Traffic authorities say the driver allegedly lost control of the bus, hit an electric pole, and the coach overturned. It was travelling from Zimbabwe to Gauteng.
The bus was ferrying congregants of the Apostolic Faith Mission of Africa Church from Zimbabwe to South Africa when it crashed. Three women died at the scene while another person died on their way to the hospital.
Forty injured passengers were taken to Mankweng, Seshego, and Polokwane hospitals.
Traffic Spokesperson Mike Maringa says reckless and negligent driving is suspected to be the cause of the crash.
“We can confirm that three people were killed this morning in the bus crash on the N1 outside Botlokwa in Limpopo. It is alleged that the bus was speeding, the driver lost control hit a pole and the bus overturned. Information we have at this stage is that the bus had over 50 passengers and the injured were rushed to Polokwane and Botlokwa.”
Bus rollover leaves three dead, at least fifty others injured on the N1 in Limpopo https://t.co/HMPKOK8Wvg #ArriveAlive @TransportLimCom @TruckAndFreight pic.twitter.com/Dwv7WhzP2Q
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) January 3, 2022
One of the paramedics who arrived at the scene explains what happened.
“We received a call around five in the morning that there is a bus accident and then we found multiple patients on the scene. So roughly we have transported around 56 patients to various hospitals, we have transported some to Botlokwa Hospital and others have been transported to Seshego Provincial Hospital, Polokwane and Mankweng.”
Meanwhile, a 36-year-old passenger died, while three others sustained injuries in a car crash on the N1, within 10 kilometres of the bus crash. Traffic officials say three vehicles were also involved in the incident.
Four people killed and 55 others injured in a bus crash on the N1:
