Dozens Killed in South African Bus Crash
Sixty-three people were killed today when a bus carrying trade union activists plunged into a reservoir in central South Africa. About 17 more people are missing and presumed dead, officers said. The bus was carrying about 90 passengers, 10 of whom were pulled from the reservoir...
Sixty-three people were killed today when a bus carrying trade union activists plunged into a reservoir in central South Africa.
About 17 more people are missing and presumed dead, officers said.
The bus was carrying about 90 passengers, 10 of whom were pulled from the reservoir outside the town of Bethlehem and taken to hospital for treatment. They have all now been discharged, hospital officials said.
"The chances of finding anybody alive now are slim," said police superintendent Sam Sesing.
The bus was carrying members of South Africa's largest trade union to a May Day workers celebration in the Free State province when the driver apparently lost his way and ended up driving down a gravel path that led to the dam.
"I am utterly shocked. I don't know what to say," said Patrick Craven, a spokesman for the Congress of South African Trade Unions.
The South African president, Thabo Mbeki, observed one minute's silence for the victims at a May Day rally in Johannesburg.
More than 9,000 South Africans, out of a population of 40 million, are killed on the roads each year. Drinking, corrupt traffic police officers taking bribes instead of issuing tickets, and unroadworthy vehicles are some of the reasons given for the unusually high death toll, officials say.
About 17 more people are missing and presumed dead, officers said.
The bus was carrying about 90 passengers, 10 of whom were pulled from the reservoir outside the town of Bethlehem and taken to hospital for treatment. They have all now been discharged, hospital officials said.
"The chances of finding anybody alive now are slim," said police superintendent Sam Sesing.
The bus was carrying members of South Africa's largest trade union to a May Day workers celebration in the Free State province when the driver apparently lost his way and ended up driving down a gravel path that led to the dam.
"I am utterly shocked. I don't know what to say," said Patrick Craven, a spokesman for the Congress of South African Trade Unions.
The South African president, Thabo Mbeki, observed one minute's silence for the victims at a May Day rally in Johannesburg.
More than 9,000 South Africans, out of a population of 40 million, are killed on the roads each year. Drinking, corrupt traffic police officers taking bribes instead of issuing tickets, and unroadworthy vehicles are some of the reasons given for the unusually high death toll, officials say.
Use the feedback form below to submit your comments.
Use the form below to email this article to your friends.
- Youth Held Over South African Settlement Shooting
- South Africa Police Chief Faces Criminal Charges
- South Africa Police Chief Applies to Stop Investigation Against Him
- South Africa in Turmoil As Mbeki Heads for Defeat
- South African Miners Stage Strike Over Safety Standards
- Fight Begins for the Soul of South Africa
- South African Editor Fears Arrest for Minister Claims
- Arrest Warrant Issued for South African Police Chief
- Shoppers Hail New Monument to South African Liberation
- South Africa Blames Uk for Zimbabwe Crisis
- Ninety Years On, South Africa Salutes 600 Men Left to Drown in Channel
- ANC Power Struggle Looms As More Join South Africa's Strike
- South Africa Hit By Strike As Left Challenges Anc Leadership
- South Africans Meet Mugabe's Opponents and Warn of 'meltdown'
- Occupied Gaza Like Apartheid South Africa, Says Un Report
- South Africa's Constitutional Court Symbolises the Fight Against Apartheid
- South Africa's Police Chief, His Friend the Murder Suspect, and the Crime Syndicate
- South Africa Launches Huge Manhunt for the Slippery 'houdini of C-max'
- South African Assembly Passes Gay Partnership Law
- Culture in South Africa