By: Natasha Archary
Six more learners were killed in a road accident on Tuesday, 06 February, this time in the Free State.
The accident occurred along the R70 between Senekal and Ventersburg, when the bus that the learners were travelling in overturned.
Reports suggest that a wheel on the bus became loose, causing the driver to lose control of the bus.
About 58 passengers were on board the bus which was transporting all female learners from Riebeeckstad Hoërskool from a sporting event.
Six learners were unfortunately declared dead on the scene, while 40 survived with minor injuries.
Eight others sustained moderate injuries, and 4 were severely injured. All injured passengers were transported to various hospitals in Welkom and Senekal.
Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga conveyed her condolences and sympathies to the families of the learners who passed away.
“Our prayers are with the families and relatives of the deceased. This is not the kind of news which any parent can expect when their children have gone out on a school excursion.
We hope that an investigation will shed light on what happened.”
The latest school transport related accident comes after 3 other learners died in tragic accidents since the start of February.
On Tuesday, a second learner has died in the Eastern Cape following a scholar transport crash between a minibus and a cargo train.
In a separate incident closer to home, a Grade 6 learner in Ga-Rankuwa was killed after reportedly falling out of the scholar transport he was travelling in.
The learner was run over by the rear wheels of the vehicle and was killed.
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