At least 42 migrant workers die in South African bus crash
At least 42 people, including seven children, were killed Sunday night when a bus plunged off a steep mountain pass and into a ravine in northern South Africa’s Limpopo Province. The accident occurred on the N1 highway, about 250 miles north of Pretoria, as the vehicle was traveling through one of the region’s most treacherous routes. Authorities said the death toll could still rise as rescue workers continue to recover bodies and assess the full extent of the disaster. Several passengers who survived were rushed to nearby hospitals with serious injuries, while official photos showed the wreckage of the bus lying overturned with its roof completely crushed.
Most of the victims were Zimbabwean and Malawian migrant workers returning home from jobs in South Africa. Officials said the bus had departed from Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape region, traveling more than 930 miles toward Zimbabwe and Malawi. President Cyril Ramaphosa called the crash a national tragedy, expressing condolences to the victims’ families and describing it as “a disaster for South Africa and our sister states of Zimbabwe and Malawi.” The accident follows a similar crash in June that killed 12 people when a bus carrying political supporters overturned in KwaZulu-Natal.
South Africa has one of the highest road fatality rates in the world, recording over 11,800 deaths annually, according to a recent report in the South African Family Practice journal. Contributing factors include speeding, poor vehicle maintenance, drunk driving, weak law enforcement, and hazardous road conditions. Experts have also pointed to the country’s relatively high urban speed limits—around 37 mph compared to lower limits in Europe and the U.S.—as increasing the likelihood of severe or fatal injuries in crashes. The Limpopo crash has renewed calls for tougher safety enforcement and better maintenance of long-distance transport routes.
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