Nongoma | Friday
TWENTY-THREE people were killed when a bus rolled down an embankment on the R618 between Nongoma and Vryheid in northern KwaZulu-Natal early on Thursday evening.
Road Traffic Inspectorate representative Colin Govender said the bus narrowly missed an entourage transporting one of King Goodwill Zwelithini’s wives.
He said the accident occurred around 5pm when the bus’s right front tyre is believed to have burst.
”At the time of the alleged tyre burst the entourage of the second queen of King Goodwill Zwelithini was travelling in the opposite direction,” Govender said.
”The (bus) driver saw the entourage and tried to avoid hitting them (the entourage) head on but hit the lead vehicle, an Isuzu bakkie.”
The bus, which was travelling from Newcastle to Nongoma, rolled several times down an embankment before coming to a stop.
One person was taken to hospital in a serious condition while 24 others were treated for minor cuts and bruises. The bus driver and conductor were believed to be among the dead.
The injured were taken to the St Benedict Hospital in Nongoma. KwaZulu-Natal transport MEC conveyed his condolences to the families of the victims. – Sapa