Johannesburg - The Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) has expressed regret at the deaths of 11 passengers and the injuries of 14 others during a collision involving a minibus taxi and a Prasa long-distance bus.
Autopax, which is a holding company of two South African intercity bus services and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Prasa, was the bus that was involved in the accident.
The collision occurred on the R61 between Flagstaff and Lusikisiki on Sunday.
"We are deeply saddened by the number of fatalities in this accident. Autopax takes safety seriously and will participate fully in investigations to establish the cause of the accident. Our thoughts and sympathies are with the families and friends of those who have lost loved ones," Autopax CEO Neil Roesch said.
Prasa said that they commend the rapid response teams and traffic law enforcement officers for their swift rescue operations and attending to the injured passengers.
Meanwhile, according to ER24, five children were killed and another critically injured when the bakkie that they were travelled in rolled multiple times on A Z Berman Drive in Mitchells Plain, Western Cape.
"ER24 paramedics arrived on the scene at 08h07, finding the Western Cape Metro and City of Cape Town Fire already in attendance.
On closer inspection, medics found a bakkie upright in the middle of the road. Several children believed to be aged between 13 and 16 were seen scattered some distance away from the bakkie," said ER 24.
When medics assessed the children, they found that five had already succumbed to their numerous injuries, while a sixth was in critical condition with numerous injuries.
"Paramedics treated the critical patient and provided him with numerous advanced life support interventions before he was transported to a nearby hospital for urgent care.
“The exact details surrounding this incident are unknown, but local authorities were on the scene for further investigations," added ER24.
The Star