LIMPOPO – The Department of Transport has confirmed that seven children, including a 10-month old baby, were among the 42 fatalities following a horror bus incident on the N1 near Louis Trichardt on Sunday (October 12).

The incident also left 49 others injured when the cross-border bus they were travelling in overturned and plunged down an embankment near the Ingwe Ranch at around 18:00.

The bus was carrying passengers from Zimbabwe and Malawi, travelling from the Eastern Cape toward their home countries.

Read more: UPDATE: 42 dead in horror N1 bus crash near Louis Trichardt

Transport spokesperson Collen Msibi said seven children, 17 adult males, and 18 adult females were killed, while the injured passengers include six critical, 31 serious and 12 minor.

“The injured were transported to Louis Trichardt, Siloam, and Elim hospitals, while a critically injured child was airlifted to Tshilidzini Hospital for urgent medical care,” he said.

The Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, and the Deputy Minister, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, expressed deep sadness following the incident and visited the site earlier this afternoon, accompanied by the ambassadors to both Zimbabwe and Malawi.

The cause of the incident is not known as yet but the Road Traffic Management Corporation said they will conduct a full scene reconstruction and mechanical inspection of the bus to determine what led to the tragedy, in collaboration with local law enforcement.

Both Creecy and Hlengwa voiced concern over recurring public transport crashes, reaffirming that the review of the National Road Safety Strategy will strengthen measures to prevent such incidents, particularly in the public and scholar transport sectors.

According to local WhatsApp groups, the N1 has been opened, however a formal announcement has not been made by local authorities.