Africa-Press – South-Africa. Six pupils died following a bus accident in northern KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday morning.
According to the provincial government, grades 10 and 11 pupils from Mchitheki Secondary School in Nongoma were travelling to Durban for an educational tour.
The bus apparently overturned when the driver failed to negotiate a bend on the R618 near the Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game Reserve, according to the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC).
Five pupils died at the scene, while another was declared dead in hospital.
“The driver is also believed to be in a critical condition,” said KZN transport department spokesperson Thando Biyela.
According to RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane, 30 pupils were seriously injured, while 40 others suffered minor bruises.
“They were all taken to Hlabisa Hospital,” he said.
KZN Education MEC Mbali Frazer added:
DA KZN spokesperson on education Imraan Keeka shared her sympathies with the families of the deceased.
“We extend our sincere condolences to the families of those who have passed away under such horrific circumstances.
“Our province’s roads have become death traps while learner transport remains largely problematic, with several modes of transport unregulated,” he said.
Tuesday’s accident comes less than a year after 19 pupils, a teacher and a driver died when a truck crashed into a bakkie in Pongola in northern KZN.
The provincial Department of Community Safety has vowed to speed up the investigation into Tuesday’s crash.
Its spokesperson, Kwanele Ncalane, said they would assist affected families with counselling and burial arrangements in partnership with the education department.
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