20 dead and dozens injured as tour bus falls into swollen South African river

20 dead and dozens injured as tour bus falls into swollen South African river

Tour bus crash South Africa - Image ER

A tour bus has crashed off a bridge into a South African river swollen by heavy rains leaving at least 20 dead and dozens more injured.

According to the Metro on Tuesday, February 14, the bus was involved in a head-on collision with a security van near the town of Louis Trichardt.

Eyewitnesses report that the bus hit the barriers on the bridge before rolling over and into the swollen river below, landing on its side.

Heavy rain is said to be hampering rescue efforts with paramedics struggling to carry out their rescue operation. Most of the fatalities are said to have come from people trapped underneath the bus.

An ambulance spokesperson said: “Three people were found deceased by the roadside and 16 down by the river – all were declared dead on arrival.

“One patient, of the 69 passengers confirmed transported to the hospital for various injuries, has since died.”

Authorities say it’s not clear how many people were on the bus, with the accident having happened around 8 pm on Monday night.

The area is one of seven provinces in South Africa to be hit by flooding due to the effects of the La Nina weather system.

Bus accidents are not uncommon in South Africa where the road death toll is amongst the highest in the world, however, accidents where as many as 20 are dead and dozens more injured are less common.


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Written by

Peter McLaren-Kennedy

Originally from South Africa, Peter is based on the Costa Blanca and is a web reporter for the Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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