A catastrophic bus accident on Tuesday in South Africa’s Limpopo province has left at least 42 people dead. Nearly all those killed were Botswana citizens on their way to an Easter weekend religious service. The shooting happened at about 6 p.m. local time on Sunday. It occurred along the N1 highway, just outside the town of Louis Trichardt, located 248 miles (400 kilometers) north of Pretoria.
The People’s Bus on its way to Zimbabwe, just before it unexpectedly went off the road. The consequences of this resulted in a preventable, catastrophic accident in the scenic mountainous region. Among the passengers, this 8-year-old girl was the only one to live. She was one of almost 490 victims that day transported to nearby hospitals across the region for emergency treatment. Six other people were critically injured, including one child who was airlifted for specialized care.
Rescue operations went late into the night Sunday. The Limpopo provincial government reported that at least 31 other passengers were seriously injured and were taken to multiple hospitals to receive medical treatment.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa conveyed his condolences to the countries affected by the calamity. He spoke to that loss with deep pastoral wisdom in his statement. He extended “his deep condolences to the nations of Zimbabwe and Malawi who have lost compatriots.” Ramaphosa expressed his dismay at the timing of such an accident. It occurred during South Africa’s annual transport month, an observance period created to promote safer roads.
“This sadness is compounded by the fact that this incident has taken place during our annual transport month, where we place a special focus on the importance of safety on our roads,” – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa
This recent event is eerily similar to a tragic incident that occurred last year. In that collision, 45 people perished in a single province. The truck flew over the side of the bridge and landed in a deep gorge below. This crash led to heightened outcry over the need for better safety measures on South Africa’s unsafe roads.
As of this writing, authorities are still investigating the cause of this latest fatal crash. Thousands of families are currently grieving their loved ones. Our government must act to protect others from the same fate and ensure similar tragedies never happen again.
