Deadly crash in South Africa! School bus collides with truck: 14 students lose their lives

South Africa has been the scene of a tragic traffic accident. A minibus carrying primary and high school students collided with a truck.

According to reports in the local press, the accident occurred around 07:00 in the city of Vanderbijlpark, located southwest of Johannesburg. The school bus, which was transporting students to a private school, collided head-on with an oncoming truck while attempting to overtake other vehicles in front of it.

Following the emergency call, a large number of ambulances were dispatched to the scene, where it was determined that 11 students had lost their lives. It was stated that 3 other students passed away in the hospital despite all interventions, while the treatment of 3 injured students is ongoing.

Police announced that both drivers survived the accident with injuries. A detailed investigation into the incident has been launched.

"WE MUST DO EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN"

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his deep sorrow over the loss of life and announced that necessary psycho-social support would be provided to the families and friends of the deceased students.

Stating that necessary measures will be taken to prevent similar incidents from occurring, Ramaphosa declared, "Our children are our nation's most valuable assets. We must do everything in our power to protect our children in every area, from compliance with traffic rules to the quality of vehicles used for student transport."

South African Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube stated that many accidents involving school transport are caused by driver error and issued instructions to tighten vehicle inspections and audits for student transport services.

News Source: İHA