Forty-two people were killed and 49 injured when a passenger bus carrying Zimbabwean and Malawian nationals veered off the N1 highway and plunged down an embankment in a mountainous section of Limpopo on Sunday night, authorities said.
Transport officials said the cause was not immediately known and an investigation is under way. The bus was reportedly travelling from Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape. It was unclear how many people were on board or the vehicle’s capacity.
Among the dead were seven children, 18 women and 17 men, officials confirmed.
President Cyril Ramaphosa offered condolences, calling the crash a tragedy for South Africa and “our sister states of Zimbabwe and Malawi.” Transport Minister Barbara Creecy and other officials are due to visit the crash site and the injured passengers.