02 March 2020 1 Min Read
UPDATE: 25 dead, 68 injured in Eastern Cape bus crash
in News by Lulamile Feni
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Twenty-five people have been confirmed dead and 68 injured after a bus travelling from Cebe to Butterworth with a full load of passengers rolled 300m down a hill.
Three helicopters were dispatched, and police and the defence force requested to help the emergency personnel of about 20 ambulances in rescue efforts.
Because of the steep incline, rescuers were forced to use ropes to pull the injured to safety.
The bus reportedly overturned on the gravel road between Tafalofefe and Butterworth on Monday morning.
Twenty-one people are confirmed dead and several injured after a bus travelling to Butterworth rolled down a steep embankment.
Image: SUPPLIED
Image: SUPPLIED
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Transport department spokesperson Unathi Binqose told DispatchLIVE that “details as to how many have died and were injured are still sketchy”.
ImiNgcangathelo traditional leader Nkosi Phathuxolo Tyali, who was one of the first to arrive at the scene, said: “We are busy rescuing others … Our focus is to assist those who are injured. This is a tragedy.”
Health spokesperson Siziwe Kupelo confirmed the accident, and described how passengers had been flung from the rolling bus, while others were trapped under it when it finally came to a halt.