Seven people lost their lives and 52 suffered injuries in the horrific bus accident that occurred on the Long Tom Pass on December 8.

The bus, from Mokopane in Limpopo, was heading to Sabie for a music festival for the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Multiple emergency services received a call about the horrific crash just before 17:00. When EMS services arrived at the scene, an on-scene triage area was established to treat patients and then rush them to nearby hospitals for further treatment.

Also read: BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: Six people killed in bus accident on the Long Tom Pass

It was all hands on deck with Emer-G-Med, ER24, Netcare911, Midlands EMS, Hi-Tech Medical Services, Africa SAFE-T Emergency Medical Service, and the provincial EMS stabilising and transporting the 52 injured passengers.

Emer-G-Med’s Kyle van Reenen said the injuries ranged from minor to critical. Three patients had to be airlifted by the Netcare911 aeromedical helicopter to specialist facilities for further care.

SARZA was also on the scene, and played a vital role in the rescue of injured patients and the recovery of the seven bodies.

Also read: UPDATE: Seven killed in a horrific bus crash on the Long Tom Pass

Once all the patients had been rescued and transported to hospital, Van Wettens Breakdown Services moved in with the rig to pull the bus up so that SARZA could continue to recover the bodies.

The SAPS and traffic department were also on the scene. All the bodies were recovered just after 01:00 on Saturday, December 9.

According to the owner of the bus company, Vuki Chuene, his driver informed him that the bus had a suffered a flat tyre as they were going downhill, and he lost control and the bus rolled.

“For now, we only know that the bus had a puncture and lost control, however, we will wait for the police investigation to verify the incident while we also do our own internal investigation. The bus was in good condition, as we always maintain them, so it can be roadworthy all the time. Even our drivers are well trained,” he said.

Chuene further sent a message of condolences to the deceased’s families and wished a speedy recovery to those who were injured. He said he had already dispatched another bus to collect those who will be discharged from the hospitals.

He also said he had already visited some of the injured people in the various hospitals in Mbombela.

Meanwhile, the Mpumalanga MEC for the DCSSL, Vusi Shongwe, once again appealed for cautious usage of the roads during this festive season.

He said it was deeply disheartening for the province to start the season on such a grim note.

“We are concerned about the number of fatalities that the province has recorded so far from the crashes since last week. We continue to make a clarion call to motorists to be extremely vigilant amid rising traffic volumes. They should be patient and plan their trips accordingly,” said Shongwe.

He is also sending heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

The road has now been cleared and is open for traffic.