SOUTH AFRICA- The death toll from a tragic bus crash in the Free State has reached ten, with 27 survivors, following a collision between a City to City bus and a truck on the N6 road.

The crash occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, around 3 am, approximately 15 km south of Reddersburg towards Smithfield. Sipho Towa, District Manager for the Free State EMS Control Center, confirmed that the bus, carrying 37 passengers, collided with a truck. Emergency services were alerted to the scene at around 4 am.

By 11 am, Towa confirmed that ten people had died—seven women and three men, including a minor. Among the 27 survivors, two sustained critical injuries, three had moderate injuries, and 22 suffered only slight injuries. All the survivors were transported to two different hospitals for further medical care.

One lane of the N6 has been reopened for traffic, and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has dispatched a team of investigators to determine the cause of the bus crash.

RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane said the two vehicles collided in a side-swipe manner, with the bus traveling from Reddersburg towards Smithfield and the truck, which was hauling two trailers, heading in the opposite direction. The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation.

The RTMC has extended condolences to the victims’ families and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. They also urged road users to exercise caution during early morning travel, as statistics show that most crashes occur before dawn.