A collision at around 17:00 yesterday between a bus and a cash-in-transit van on the N1 towards Musina in Limpopo resulted in several lives being lost, while multiple people suffered varied degrees of injuries.

According to provincial transport department spokesperson Tidimalo Chuene, the road was only reopened this morning.

“Twenty people were tragically killed in the accident,” she says, adding that it is believed the cash-in-transit vehicle driver lost control and collided head-on with the oncoming bus. Investigations into the cause of the accident are ongoing, however.

Chuene says that 10 passengers sustained serious injuries, while moderate (16) and minor (35) injuries were also reported. These passengers, she adds, were transported to three nearby hospitals.

“Rescue operations ran into the night [and] the police diving team has [been] activated to search the nearby river for people who might have been swept away,” she reports.

ER24 reports a slightly higher injury rate, saying 68 people were hurt. Spokesperson Ross Campbell says the bus rolled off the freeway bridge into the river below and landed on its left side.

“ER24 paramedics were on the scene at 20:05, along with the fire department, provincial EMS and rescue and several other private EMS services. The scene was still active at the time of this report, with several passengers still possibly unaccounted for.

“One patient, of the 69 passengers confirmed transported to hospital for various injuries, has since died. Three people were found deceased by the roadside and 16 down by the river – all were declared dead on arrival. Most of the fatalities down by the river had been trapped under the bus,” Campbell explains.