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2 August 2024
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Six learners killed in horror collision between school bus and a train, Mpumalanga
Six pupils died and 20 others were injured in a horrific accident between a scholar transport bus and a train on the R104 road near Mafube Village outside Middelburg in Mpumalanga, on Wednesday, 31 July 2024. The collision happened just after 16h00 at Pan Stasie (old Belfast Road). The Community Safety Department said the bus was coming from school carrying 30 children and their driver. One pupil’s body was trapped in the bus, one was under the train and two others were found near the accident scene.
“The sixth learner who was receiving treatment at the hospital passed on after succumbing to the injuries. Twenty other learners sustained injuries ranging from serious to slight and they were all rushed to the nearby hospital, where the sixth learner died,” said department's spokesperson Moeti Mmusi.
The bodies of the five schoolchildren from Morneg Combined School in the Wonderfontein area were taken to the Middelburg Pathology Department.
He added the bus driver was recovering in hospital. The bus driver was nearly attacked at the scene by angry residents. However, the driver was eventually transported to the hospital for medical treatment.
A paramedic had to intervene to control the crowd.
Distressed family members could be seen carrying buckets filled with soil to cover blood stains. Some members of the community had gathered at the scene to assist in identifying the bodies before they were transported to the state mortuary. Shoes, bags and various other items were seen scattered around the accident scene.
The crash was posted in the Middelburg Traffic Alert WhatsApp group, which helped dispatch emergency services to the scene and keep officers updated.
Eyewitnesses stated the bus was crossing the railway line as the train was approaching.
A grieving mother appeared live on SABC, saying that two of her children were in the accident which claimed the one child’s life, while the other was receiving treatment.
Deputy Minister of Transport Mkhuleko Hlengwa, accompanied by provincial transport and traffic management officials, has conducted a site visit.
The Department of Transport has made a call for the safety of school children to be prioritised.
The police are still investigating the cause of the crash.
A similar incident took place when 12 learners died in a fatal car crash, while riding in a scholar transport, this took place in Merafong City, West Rand, Gauteng.
Sources: Middelburg Observer, The Citizen
“The sixth learner who was receiving treatment at the hospital passed on after succumbing to the injuries. Twenty other learners sustained injuries ranging from serious to slight and they were all rushed to the nearby hospital, where the sixth learner died,” said department's spokesperson Moeti Mmusi.
The bodies of the five schoolchildren from Morneg Combined School in the Wonderfontein area were taken to the Middelburg Pathology Department.
He added the bus driver was recovering in hospital. The bus driver was nearly attacked at the scene by angry residents. However, the driver was eventually transported to the hospital for medical treatment.
A paramedic had to intervene to control the crowd.
Distressed family members could be seen carrying buckets filled with soil to cover blood stains. Some members of the community had gathered at the scene to assist in identifying the bodies before they were transported to the state mortuary. Shoes, bags and various other items were seen scattered around the accident scene.
The crash was posted in the Middelburg Traffic Alert WhatsApp group, which helped dispatch emergency services to the scene and keep officers updated.
Eyewitnesses stated the bus was crossing the railway line as the train was approaching.
A grieving mother appeared live on SABC, saying that two of her children were in the accident which claimed the one child’s life, while the other was receiving treatment.
Deputy Minister of Transport Mkhuleko Hlengwa, accompanied by provincial transport and traffic management officials, has conducted a site visit.
The Department of Transport has made a call for the safety of school children to be prioritised.
The police are still investigating the cause of the crash.
A similar incident took place when 12 learners died in a fatal car crash, while riding in a scholar transport, this took place in Merafong City, West Rand, Gauteng.
Sources: Middelburg Observer, The Citizen
