Eleven die in horror crash on N1 south

Eleven people were killed and several others injured last Friday morning (22nd) in a horrendous bus accident along the N1 south, between the Capricorn Toll Gate Plaza and Matoks.

This fatal crash, according to the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), occurred after a bus had overtaken another vehicle on a solid barrier line and collided head-on with an oncoming sedan. The bus, belonging to Gudwill Luxury Coaches, was ferrying passengers from Johannesburg to Harare. The accident occurred around 02:00 in the morning.

Eleven people were killed on impact, including the drivers of both the bus and the sedan. Five of the 11 people killed were travelling in the sedan. Six people were critically injured and 11 seriously, while 33 passengers sustained minor injuries. Emergency workers had their hands full to dispatch all the injured to various hospitals in the area for treatment. An estimated 56 passengers were on board the bus.

The national road had to be closed for traffic for several hours to allow rescue workers to remove the bodies of those who had died and those who were still trapped under the capsized bus.

Following Friday’s accident, the MEC for Roads and Transport, Mr Lehlogonolo Masoga, and the Limpopo Premier, Mr Stanley Mathabatha, visited the survivors of the accident in hospital to express their heartfelt sympathy with them and their families.

Friday’s horrific crash, said the RTMC, happened at a time when it was busy intensifying its road safety plans, ahead of the busy festive season. The bus accident occurred on the same day as the horror crash in Umkhomazi, Kwazulu Natal. This accident claimed the lives of 14 people, leaving three seriously injured. The accident happened when a taxi driver lost control due to brake failure, according to the RTMC, and collided with a stationary truck.

Date:29 November 2013

By: Isabel Venter

Isabel joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in 2009 as a reporter. She holds a BA Degree in Communication Sciences from the University of South Africa. Her beat is mainly crime and court reporting.

Read: 2444