Bus Plunges Downhill and Kills Three


By Oliver Ngwenya    08-Mar-2015 08:30 UTC+02:00
The bus which plunged into a cliff in the Western Cape. Three people were killed and twenty six were injured. Image: News24

The bus which plunged into a cliff in the Western Cape. Three people were killed and twenty six were injured.
Image: News24

A total of 26 people have been injured while three others have been confirmed dead in an accident in which a bus tumbled down a cliff in the Western Cape on Saturday. The bus, which was carrying some players of the Franschhoek Rugby Club which were going to a match, is said to have veered off the Franschhoek Pass after the driver lost control of the bus in an attempt to avoid a cyclist.

According to some Western Cape emergency officials, the bus accident occurred when the driver swerved to avoid two cyclists who had cut corners. It appears, however that it was too late for the driver and he then lost control of it resulting in it plunging down the cliff. The ER 24, which had earlier reported that thirty people had been injured confirmed that the bus rolled and came to rest on its roof. They also said that the types of injuries ranged from minor to critical and that they had been carried to several hospitals around the province including Paarl, Stellenbosch and Cape Town, adding that, at the time, a squadron of their cars were still at the scene of the accident.

It was also reported that two of those that died were players of the Franschhoek Rugby Club. Speaking to the media, the club coach, Archie Johnson said that it would take a long time for his team to get past this tragedy. “It was an under 20 player and a senior player who died. It will affect the club because it will take time before we can move on after this tragedy,” he said. He also extended his team’s condolences to the family of the third deceased. It was not immediately clear if the third person that died was one of the passengers in the bus or one of the cyclists.


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