The City of Ekurhuleni’s Emergency Management Services (EMS) says the bodies of two people are still inside the wreckage of a bus that crashed on the R21 northbound near the OR Tambo International Airport in the East Rand.

Twelve people have been declared dead and 45 others left injured, after the bus they were travelling in overturned.

Law enforcement officials are still attending to the scene.

EMS Spokesperson, William Ntladi says, “Ten of the deceased are outside and two of the other deceased are still inside the vehicle. Rescue teams are also still waiting up until the forensic investigators are done on scene with their investigations before we start now with cutting the wreckage to be able to recover those who are still inside the bus.”

Ntladi has advised motorists travelling in the city to avoid the R21 northbound near the airport.

He says, “We’re pleading with motorists to off-ramp at Griffith Road and use Pretoria Road alongside Isando Train Station into Kempton Park and they can join Voortrekker Street and join the R21 northbound so for now. We cannot tell as to how long this still will be closed, the freeway R21.”

‘Driver error’

Ekurhuleni’s MMC for Roads and Transport Andile Mngwevu says driver error might have led to the fatal bus crash. He says an investigation is now underway to establish the exact cause of the incident.

Mngwevu says, “We are still waiting for the final investigation and the footage of what really transpired, because we can’t get the actual facts of what happened for the bus to overturn, but from the look of things the bus attempted to go on the side and it hit the curb and it overturned, and it lead to fatalities.”

He says, “We can only confirm that once the investigation has been concluded by the authorities and they give us a full report of what happened, because we did not have an opportunity to engage with the driver since he is in hospital.”

Mngwevu says it is not yet certain when the accident scene will be cleared.

“Once the authorities have finalised and cleared the scene, you will see there’s still bodies of the deceased on the roads taken away once they can assure us that now we have cleared the scene and assure us now that everything is in order we’ve cleared the scene, then we will be able to open the road so that the business of the day continues.”

-Additional reporting by Sashin Naidoo and Xoliswa Makhikhi