Three people died and at least 15 others were seriously injured when a bus plunged off the Tongaat River Bridge on the R102 near Maidstone on Tuesday morning.

The deceased include two men and one woman. One male victim was identified as 34 years old, while the other two victims are believed to be between 30 and 40 years old.

Of those injured, two are in intensive care in critical condition, one of which is on a ventilator.

The bus is believed to have collected passengers from a bus stop in Tongaat at around 6am and crashed within 30 minutes of departure.

Emergency services, including the Tongaat Fire Department, responded swiftly. One person was freed from the wreckage, while two passengers were hoisted to safety using a high-angle rope system and stokes basket by IPSS Search and Rescue.

All the victims are understood to be residents of Ward 62 in Burbreeze, Tongaat.

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, extended condolences to the families of the deceased and called for the cause of the accident to be investigated.

He confirmed that preliminary reports from the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) indicate the bus suffered brake failure.

The driver, who survived, reportedly attempted to avoid oncoming traffic before veering off the road and plunging off the bridge.

“I have directed our team from RTI to work with Saps and ensure that the driver doesn’t escape and that he faces murder charges, not culpable homicide,” said Duma.

“Equally, the owners of the bus company must be the subject of an investigation.”

He said the bus would be inspected for roadworthiness.

The accident is the second multiple-fatality bus crash on the North Coast in the past three months after nine churchgoers were killed on the N2 in Mandeni in early March following a suspected burst tyre.

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