RTMC sends investigators to probe Limpopo bus crash
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has sent crash investigators to Limpopo to assist in investigating the cause of a bus crash that killed 11 people and left more than 30 injured.
The crash happened on the N1 near Mookgopong when a bus reportedly travelling from Zambia to Gauteng overturned. It is alleged that the bus experienced a tyre burst after which the driver lost control and veered off the road.
Two passengers were seriously injured and 30 passengers (including the driver) had slight injuries. The exact cause of the crash will be known once all investigations have been finalized.
This accident follows two other gruesome crashes that took place in KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape last month (August 2018). In KwaZulu-Natal, five people were killed when a bus crashed traveling from Johannesburg to Empangeni overturned near Melmoth. Twelve people suffered serious injuries while 15 escaped with minor injuries.
In the Western Cape, ten people died when a bus overturned in the early hours of the morning outside Beaufort West. Ten people died in that crash and 30 were injured.
The RTMC has been involved in investigating seven major fatal crashes involving busses so far this year. Busses contribute about one percent of the total number of fatal crashes caused by all modes of road transport in the country. Last year (2017) there were 161 fatal crashes involving busses which was a slight decrease compared to 202 fatal bus crashes recorded in 2016.
However more needs to be done to curb the spate of bus crashes in the country as one incident claims more lives compared to others modes of road transport.
The RTMC sends its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and wishes a speedy recovery to all the injured. The Corporation commits itself that it will work with other authorities to investigate the exact cause of this crash so as to bring closure to all affected.
Contact person:
Simon Zwane
Spokesperson
Cell: 082 551 9892
