Nkomazi - The Mpumalanga department of community safety, security and liaison confirmed on Friday that five school learners had been killed in an accident after a minibus taxi collided head-on with a bus.
The accident happened on the D2940 Road in Kamdladla, Nkomazi, at about 07h20 on Friday morning.
Department spokesperson Joseph Mabuza said that four of the five learners died at the scene while another learner died in hospital.
"Twenty-five people who were critically injured were rushed to the nearest hospital. The driver is among those who were critically injured. The case of culpable homicide has been registered with the police. At this stage it is not clear about the circumstances surrounding the crash," Mabuza said.
Mabuza said the department had dispatched its safety engineering team to the scene to investigate the crash. He also said the road took more than two hours to clear and motorists had to use other alternative roads to reach their destinations.