Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya, [email protected]
AT least five people are reported dead, while 34 others were injured when the Zimbabwean bus they were travelling in was involved in a road accident outside Makhado town along the N1 early on Thursday morning.
A team of multi-stakeholders from Limpopo province in South Africa has already begun a strenuous rescue mission at the scene of the accident.
The bus was travelling from Gauteng to Zimbabwe when tragedy struck near Ingwe Lodge outside Makhado town along the N1 highway.
It is reported that the accident occurred when the driver lost control and the bus drifted down a cliff at the same spot where 36 Zimbabweans and eight Malawians were killed in a similar incident in October last year.
Limpopo’s Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Transport and Community Safety, Ms Violet Mathye, told the media that so far five people had been confirmed dead, while 34 others were injured and have been taken to different hospitals.
“The breakdown has arrived and they are extracting the bus out of the ditch. We should have the full details in due course,” said Limpopo Transport and Community Safety spokesperson Mr Matome Taueatsoala.
He said the road was currently closed to traffic and advised motorists travelling towards or from Musina to use alternative routes.
The area around Ingwe Lodge, with its sharp curves and mountainous terrain, has become a death trap for many road users on the N1 highway between Musina and Makhado towns.
