Babies among 19 dead in South Africa bus wreck

2011-01-15 19:52:21 GMT+7 (ICT)

BETHLEHEM, SOUTH AFRICA (BNO NEWS) -- At least 19 people were killed on Saturday morning when a passenger bus carrying around 40 people veered off a road in South Africa, rescue workers said.

Netcare 911 spokesman Jeffrey Wicks said that the accident happened on the R26 highway between Fouriesburg and Bethlehem, in the eastern Free State province. Wicks said the bus veered off the road before crashing into a shallow stream.

"Netcare911 Paramedics arrived at the scene to find that the bus had veered from the road and ploughed into a roadside furrow and shallow stream," Wicks said. "All indications are that the passengers were thrown forward on impact."

Around 40 people were believed to have been on the bus, of which at least 19 had been killed and 10 others critically injured. "The exact number of patients remains unclear as many were rushed from the scene in civilian vehicles prior to the arrival of medics," Wicks said.

Among the fatalities were several infants.

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