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in a horrific accident here on Sunday morning.

Thirteen passengers died on the spot, while the other passenger died on admission at Louis Trichardt Memorial Hospital.

Among the deceased was a five-year-old girl, four men and nine women. The accident occurred at 4:30am along the N1 highway near Witvlag turnoff between Louis Trichardt and Musina towns when the driver of a Johannesburg-bound Trans Africa Lux bus lost control of the vehicle.

By late yesterday, police were still identifying the bodies with assistance from some relatives that came from Bulawayo.
Louis Trichardt police spokesman Captain Maano Sadike confirmed the accident yesterday, saying they had since preferred culpable homicide charges against the driver.

He said when tragedy struck, the bus was travelling from Bulawayo to Johannesburg, South Africa, with 55 passengers on board including the bus crew.
“Preliminary investigations reveal that the Trans Africa Lux bus had been travelling to Johannesburg from Bulawayo in Zimbabwe with 55 people on board including the bus crew. When it got to the Witvlag turnoff, 7km out of Louis Trichardt town along the N1 Road, it developed a mechanical fault. There is a curve at this area where the road descends from a mountain. As a result of that, the driver lost control of the bus and it landed on its side hitting some culverts on the side of the road.

“The bus then veered off the road and rolled for about 100 metres before hitting against a telephone pole and stopped, while landing on its side.
“In the process, the bus’ roof was removed and as a result 13 people died on the scene including a female minor aged 5 years. Nine other people were seriously injured while several others sustained minor injuries.

The injured were then taken to Louis Trichardt Memorial Hospital where the 14th person was pronounced dead upon admission. Other victims were also taken to Elim Hospital for further treatment,” he said.
Captain Sadike said the bodies were taken to Louis Trichardt Memorial Hospital mortuary, while efforts to contact their next of kin were being made.
He added that other survivors and those who sustained minor injuries were treated and discharged.

“They were also given shock treatment by the Makhado Emergency Services department and discharged, while those who were critically injured are still undergoing medical management at Elim Hospital.
“As police we want to urge motorists, especially bus and truck drivers to be very alert when they descend from mountains and also rest when they feel tired.

“It is wise for them to take a rest where necessary because we have realised that most accidents on most of our roads are a result of human error. We will, however, not hesitate to deal with errant motorists,” said Captain Sadike.

Zimbabwe Ambassador to South Africa Ambassador Phelekezela Mphoko could not be reached for comment.
The incident comes a few months after 24 other Zimbabweans perished in a pile-up accident between Louis Trichardt and Polokwane towns on the N1 highway.

In 2005, 19 Zimbabweans died when a kombi they were travelling in plunged into a dry riverbed 15km from Louis Trichardt.
The N1 highway is one of the busiest roads in South Africa as it links that country to the rest of Africa and it is the route, which handles a lot of commercial cargo movement.
The area is also mountainous.