By Obinna Uballa
At least 42 people have been confirmed dead and 49 others injured after a passenger bus carrying Zimbabwean and Malawian nationals veered off a steep mountain pass along South Africa’s N1 highway in Limpopo Province on Sunday night.
Authorities said the bus, which was travelling from the city of Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape, lost control along a mountainous stretch of the road before plunging down an embankment.
The Limpopo Department of Transport confirmed that the victims included seven children, 18 women and 17 men. Dozens of others sustained varying degrees of injuries and were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment.
President Cyril Ramaphosa described the crash as a devastating tragedy, not only for South Africa but also for “our sister states of Zimbabwe and Malawi,” from where many of the victims hailed.
“The high number of casualties is deeply distressing. Our hearts go out to the families of the deceased and the injured,” Ramaphosa said in a statement.
The cause of the crash is yet to be determined, but officials said a full investigation has been launched.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy and other senior government officials are expected to visit the crash site and hospitals treating survivors.
Authorities have not disclosed the total number of passengers on board or the bus’s capacity at the time of the accident.
