Three people were killed and 23 injured when a tour bus overturned on the N1 south of Springfontein in the southern Free State on Monday, police said.
Captain Elsa Gerber said the bus was carrying tourists from Cape Town to Johannesburg. The passengers were from New Zealand, Italy and The Netherlands.
”The accident happened about 2.30am on Monday when one of the tyres of the bus burst, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle,” she said.
The bus left the road and landed in a ditch. Two people were killed initially and the driver of the bus subsequently died in hospital while receiving surgery.
”The two bodies that were trapped in the wreck have been recovered and sent to Bloemfontein,” Gerber said.
Traffic officials were trying to pull the bus from the ditch.
The injured were taken to the Mediclinic and Rosepark hospitals in Bloemfontein, Gerber said. — Sapa