Seven people died when a bus collided with a truck on Thursday morning on the N8 near Botshabelo in the Free State.
Free State department of police, roads and transport spokesperson Hillary Mophethe said the drivers of the bus and truck were among the seven people declared dead on the scene.
Fifty-four passengers were injured.
Mophethe said 22 passengers were transported to Botshabelo Hospital, while nine were transported to Moroka Hospital and the six critically injured were transported to Pelonomi Trauma Hospital and Rosepark Life Hospital.
The Free State premier’s spokesperson, Palesa Chubisi, said a horrific accident happened between a bus and a truck on the N8 between Botshabelo and Bloemfontein.
“There are unfortunately fatalities and serious to minor injuries reported,” she said.
In other news – Nicole weakens to Tropical Storm after Florida landfall
Tropical Storm Nicole slowed after making landfall in the US state of Florida, meteorologists said Thursday, with high winds raising concerns that a long-delayed NASA rocket launch could be disrupted.
The storm, a rare occurrence this late in the year, sparked mandatory evacuation orders just weeks after Florida was battered by Hurricane Ian.
But just an hour after Nicole made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane it was downgraded to a Tropical Storm, the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in a statement Thursday at 0900 GMT. Learn More