LIMPOPO, Northern Province - At least 60 people were injured and two killed when a bus and a bakkie collided head-on on the R528 George’s Valley between Tzaneen and Haenertsburg in Limpopo on Sunday (July 12 2015).
ER24 said paramedics from several services sent to the scene just after 1pm found people standing around a bus wedged against the Armco barrier and a Nissan Hardbody bakkie with severe damage.
LIVES LOST
ER24 spokerperson Werner Vermaak said: "Paramedics found three people trapped in the bakkie - a woman and a girl - believed to be 16 years old - with serious injuries. A man and a young boy - believed to be eight years old - were dead in the vehicle. One was ejected from the vehicle during the collision."
Fire and rescue crews used hydraulic equipment to free the three people in the bakkie. The two survivors were stabilised then taken to hospital.
Limpopo emergency services sent a disaster bus to the scene where paramedics triaged the bus passengers. None had serious injuries but they were treated for minor scrapes and bruises and possible soft-tissue injuries then taken to nearby hospitals for further assessment.
Vermaak said: "The cause of the collision is not yet known. The R528 was closed for several hours. Local authorities will investigate."
In May 2014 Wheels24 reported 10 people died, one of them only three years old, when an Intercape bus crashed between Cape Town and Queenstown with 52 people on board.
It crashed about 25km from Oudtshoorn on the N12.
ANOTHER DEADLY CRASH: The aftermath of a bus and bakkie head-on collision in Limpopo left two people dead and almost 60 people injured. Image: ER24 / Arrive Alive