Passengers jumped from a burning bus on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast on Monday, a provincial transport official said.
Zinhle Mngomezulu said the Olympic bus was hired by the family of provincial agriculture minister Mtolephi Mthimkulu for his daughter’s wedding and reception.
The bus was travelling on the N2 south near Port Shepstone when the incident took place.
The family were on their family to the groom’s Harding home.
”Smoke began rising from the driver’s seat and the bus caught fire. People then began jumping out of the window,” Mngomezulu said.
The bus came to a halt and the rest of the occupants alighted. Seven people who jumped from the window were taken to a local hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
”There were no fatalities or serious injuries reported,” said Mngomezulu. ”It is believed the cause of the fire was due to an electrical fault.”
Seventeen people died in a bus accident near the Lebombo border post last week.
The bus burst a tyre, struck a tree, overturned and then began to burn at the Marloth Park turn-off near the Lebombo border post on Thursday at about 4am, police said. — Sapa