9 killed, 55 hurt in gruesome bus, truck accident

The 55 people injured when a truck and bus collided near Estcourt this morning wait for help. Nine people died in the accident.

The 55 people injured when a truck and bus collided near Estcourt this morning wait for help. Nine people died in the accident.

Published Aug 22, 2011

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Driver fatigue may have been the cause of the horror accident that occurred when a bus and a truck carrying oranges collided on the N3 outside Estcourt, killing nine people and injuring 55.

It is the second serious bus accident in a week, with 11 people, including a nine-month-old baby, dying in a horror crash on the road between Mandeni and Nyoni in Zululand.

Netcare911 spokesman Chris Botha said that seven people had died at this morning’s accident site, and two others had died in hospital.

Charges of culpable homicide were opened against drivers of both the vehicles until the investigation was completed, said police provincial spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Vincent Mdunge.

Zinhle Mngomezulu, spokeswoman for the Road Traffic Inspectorate, said they believed the truck, travelling to Durban from Johannesburg, veered across into opposite lanes and collided with a bus coming from Mthatha.

Spokesman for the provincial Department of Transport and Community Safety, Kwanele Ncalane, said they were upset and angry at the incident, and were awaiting the results of the investigation.

“We lost 10 people in the Kokstad accident (earlier this month), 11 in the accident between Mandeni and Nyoni and now we’ve lost nine more. It’s tragic,” he said.

He said he was aware that fatigue was a problem, as truck drivers and long-distance bus operators had to work long hours.

“We are looking to put a better enforcement plan in place, where we look at the peak times in which these accidents occur and have law enforcement officials monitoring the hot spots at those times,” he said.

He said the investigation into this morning’s crash would also examine the roadworthiness of both vehicles.

Con Roux, commercial manager of N3TC, said he and his team were devastated by the accident.

“Our clean-up operation finished this morning – we closed the roads early this morning but then re-opened the fast lane to let traffic through. We wanted to avoid a backlog as far as possible,” he said.

The roads were closed again to continue the operation to clean up the wreckage and pick up the oranges.

The scene, he said, was gruesome.

“These people were sleeping peacefully one minute and lying on the road the next. It’s awful,” he said.

Roux had spoken at a conference on Friday in which he highlighted the danger posed by fatigued truck drivers to other roads users.

“These incidents show that the trucking industry needs to be tightened up and monitored more rigorously,” he said.

Sales manager at Citiliner’s Durban offices, Srenika Royeppen, said that the bus service regretted what had happened.

“We want to extend our condolences to the families of the

deceased.

“To those injured, we want to convey our sympathies,” she said.

Fatigue, she said, was never a problem for their bus drivers because they were allowed to rest even during the course of the journey.

“We have two drivers on board during every long-distance trip – especially overnight trips,” she said.

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