Bodies being pulled from the wreckage of deadly Zim-bound bus crash
· Citizen
A bus travelling from Gauteng to Zimbabwe lost control and veered off the N1 highway near Ingwe Lodge in Limpopo on Thursday morning.
Multiple people were left dead, and several others were injured.
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Authorities have closed the road as emergency teams work to establish the full extent of the tragedy.
Limpopo’s MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Violet Mathye, moved swiftly to respond to the disaster, making her way to the crash site on Thursday morning.
“The MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Violet Mathye, will arrive at the accident scene on the N1 near Ingwe Lodge at approximately 08:30 this morning,” the department said.
While the presence of senior leadership signals the gravity of the incident, the precise number of lives lost and people wounded has not yet been officially confirmed.
The department indicated that a formal count was still being compiled.
“A competent authority will confirm the numbers in due course,” it added.
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Bus route and passenger details still being verified
The department noted that establishing the exact passenger count was proving difficult given the state of the vehicle.
Adding to the complexity of the scene, the bus remained stuck in the ditch at the time of reporting.
“The vehicle remains in the ditch, making it difficult to determine the exact number of occupants at the time of the incident,” the department said.
Cause unknown as N1 remains closed to traffic
Investigators were yet to pinpoint what caused the bus driver to lose control of the vehicle before it veered off the road and plunged into the ditch.
“At this stage, the exact cause of the accident remains unknown,” it said.
With the crash site still active and the road blocked off, motorists travelling along the N1 were being redirected.
Motorists are advised to use the alternative route via Nzhelele’s R523 road until further notice.
The department added that the situation remained fluid and that the public would be kept informed.
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