20 dead, 68 injured in Limpopo bus crash

Twenty people died and 68 others were injured when a tour bus was involved in a head-on collision with a cash-in-transit van on the N1 in the Louis Trichardt area. 

ER24 spokesperson Ross Campbell says the bus landed in a river after rolling down from a bridge onto the freeway. 

“ER24 paramedics were on the scene at 20:05 on Monday 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.

“Three people were found deceased by the roadside and sixteen down by the river - all were declared dead on arrival. Most of the fatalities down by the river had been trapped under the bus.”

Meanwhile, the provincial department of Transport and Community Safety says the truck lost control and collided head-on with an oncoming bus. 

"10 passengers are reported to have sustained serious injuries, 16 moderate, and 35 minor injuries.

"All passengers with injuries were transported to Makhado, Elim, and Siloam hospitals," says department spokesperson Tidimalo Chuene. 

She says police diving team is now searching the nearby river for persons who might have been swept away by the river.

The road is now open for traffic however motorists are advised to proceed with caution.

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