Thirty-three bus passengers survived a near-fatal accident after their long-distance bus overturned on the N10 between Cradock and Cookhouse in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday night.
According to preliminary investigations, a Greyhound bus lost control in rainy and wet conditions before swerving off the road and rolling over.
Despite a report that no one died in the incident, three individuals were seriously injured and taken to the hospital, according to the province’s transport department.
Transport MEC Xolile Nqatha lauded the fast reaction of emergency teams for their ability to save lives.
Emergency teams praised
“It was the rapid response of the teams that ensured there were no fatalities from the injured,” said Nqatha.
“The injured were transported to Andries Vosloo Hospital, three with serious injuries, while 11 sustained minor injuries. The rest were treated on the scene and didn’t require any hospitalisation.”
Over the past few years, another bus company, Intercape, reported to the police over 150 incidents of intimidation and violence directed at its buses, drivers, and passengers.
Search under way for robbers
The closure was owing to the fact that the stretch of road, located about 30km outside of Stutterheim, was an active crime scene, and the criminals had hijacked an articulated truck and used it to block one side of the road, making it difficult for police to respond.
According to reports, the robbers later abandoned the truck and took the keys with them when they fled the scene.
It has since been reported that the route had been made safe to drive on, that the vehicle had been taken off the road, and that the scene had been cleared out.
“We know it was a huge inconvenience, but it was done in the interest of the motorists’ safety because we were dealing with explosives in a cash-in-transit heist,” said Nqatha.
The police said they were intensifying efforts to apprehend the people behind the heist.
