Bus carrying pupils collides with truck in Germiston

A bus transporting school children has collided with a truck on the East Rand.

The accident happened on Blackreef and Dekema Road near Wadeville, Germiston, on Wednesday morning.

Injuries

Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) spokesperson Thabiso Makgato said the pupils were being transported from Ramaphosa Informal Settlement to Segutlong Primary School.

The 65-seater bus crashed behind an articulated truck trailer. It is alleged that the truck suddenly stopped in the middle of the road, and unfortunately, the bus couldn’t stop and subsequently crashed behind the trailer.

The collision resulted in 19 primary aged scholars being attended to by paramedics with minor injuries on scene. They were attended to by paramedics before transportation to medical facilities.

The drivers of both vehicles escaped with no injuries.

A second, empty, bus from the same bus company arrived to transport uninjured pupils to school.             

“One 12-year-old boy has slight injuries, and the rest of the children are also being given medical attention. We have no fatalities.”

Earlier, the wheels of a truck with a semi-trailer caught fire in the Bedfordview area, on the N3 freeway, south by Van Buuren off-ramp.

“There with no injuries,” Makgato said.

ALSO READ: Ramaphosa mourns victims of deadly Ekurhuleni R21 bus crash

Deadly bus crash in Ekurhuleni

The accidents come a day after 16 people lost their lives in a bus crash on the R21 freeway in Ekurhuleni.

On Tuesday morning, a passenger bus and a light motor vehicle crashed near the OR Tambo International Airport. The bus driver lost control, and the bus overturned.

WATCH: Horrific bus crash on the R21

Forty-five people who were injured, including the driver, were taken to nearby hospitals.

On Monday, four primary school boys died in a horrific crash on the N12 in Ekurhuleni. It is understood that the accident happened while the pupils were on their way to school from Daveyton.

Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy and her deputy, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, expressed concern over the spate of recent crashes involving passenger buses.

Creecy’s spokesperson, Collen Msibi, said the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has dispatched a crash investigation unit and law enforcement officials to determine the cause of the accident.

“The minister and deputy minister have called for heightened caution and vigilance on all motorists and road users to ensure they stay safe on the roads at all times.

“Minister Creecy and Deputy Minister Hlengwa have expressed and extended their sincere sympathies and condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the tragic crash, wishing the injured speedy recovery to good health,” Msibi said.

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