Six pupils from Riebeeckstad Hoërskool were killed when the bus they were travelling in overturned on the R70 between Ventersburg and Senekal in the Free State on Tuesday evening.
The accident involved 58 female pupils who were returning from an all-girls sport event in Moolmanshoek near Rosendal to Riebeeckstad in Welkom.
The department of basic education said Senekal police confirmed the bus overturned after a wheel came loose and the driver lost control.
Six were declared dead on the scene, 40 sustained minor injuries, eight had moderate injuries and four were severely injured, the Free State premier’s office said.
“This tragedy struck as we were busy celebrating the success of the matric class of 2023. The deaths of those souls has robbed us of the future of our province. Words fail me and I can only imagine what the families are going through,” Free State premier Mxolisi Dukwana said.
Basic education minister Angie Motshekga said this was “not the kind of news a parent should expect” when their children go out on a school excursion.
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“It is with heavy hearts that we address you today following the unfortunate accident that occurred late this afternoon involving students from Riebeeckstad High School. Our thoughts and prayers are with the students, their families, and all those affected by this tragic incident,” wrote ES Schoeman, the principal.
She told parents who were seeking information about their children, to go to Bogani Hospital and Medi Clinic where the injured students were taken.
“We hope that an investigation will shed light on what happened,” Motshekga said.
