Six learners die in Free State bus crash
Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga has sent her heartfelt condolences to the Department of Education in the Free State, as well as the Riebeeckstad Hoërskool, parents, families, friends and next of kin of the school children who died when a bus they were travelling in, crashed.
The bus overturned on the R70 between Senekal and Ventersburg on Tuesday.
Six learners died on the scene and 28 suffered minor injuries of which another six were transported to various hospitals in Welkom and Senekal with moderate injuries.
It is alleged that the bus driver lost control of the vehicle after one of the tyres came off.
The bus was transporting school children from Riebeeckstad Hoërskool from an outdoor school event in Moolmanshoek near Rosendal to Welkom when the crash happened.
The exact cause of the crash is unknown at this stage.
Minister Chikunga says crash investigators from the Road Traffic Management Corporation have been dispatched to the scene to establish all the factors that could have led to this tragedy.
"It is a sad day indeed to have lost so many children at the start of the school year. I would like to assure parents, the Free State education department, school principal and teachers that the investigation will be with diligence and concluded speedily to allow all affected to find closure. Our prayers are with the families and relatives of the deceased."
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