All possible assistance was being given to six South African exchange pupils injured in an Argentinian bus crash, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday.
The South African ambassador to Argentina, Piet Goosen, had been in touch with the injured after the accident in which 10 people died and 20 were injured, said spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa.
Beeld newspaper reported that five of the pupils were from Roedean School in Parktown, Johannesburg, and were on a six-week exchange programme to Argentina.
Sixteen-year-old Natalie Scheepers was admitted to hospital for observation while her four classmates were treated for shock and discharged.
A sixth girl, Keisy Chase, sustained slight chest injuries but was later discharged.
She is the daughter of the SA group’s leader Susan Chase (55), who escaped injuries.
News agencies reported that the bus — also carrying tourists from the United States and Spain — collided head-on with a truck in the town of Garuape, 1 270km north of Buenos Aires on Monday morning.
The bus driver and truck driver were among the dead.
The bus hit the truck as the driver tried to overtake two other buses, it was reported. – Sapa