12 schoolchildren and their driver die in a minibus accident in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG – Twelve schoolchildren and their driver were killed in South Africa on Wednesday when their minibus overturned and caught fire on a road in Gauteng province, officials said. The accident occurred a day after schools reopened after the winter holidays.

Seven other children were injured in an accident in the town of Merafong, west of the country’s economic center, Johannesburg.

According to reports, a small truck, a so-called bakkie, crashed into the rear of the minibus carrying the children, causing it to overturn and burst into flames.

Officials from the Department of Education and Transport visited the scene of the accident and the injured children at a hospital in nearby Carletonville. Panyaza Lesufi, head of the Gauteng province, also visited the injured children.

Gauteng Department of Education spokesman Steve Mabona said 11 of the deceased children attended Rocklands Primary School, while the 12th child attended Laerskool Blyvooruitsig in Carletonville.

“The school transport vehicle was hit from behind by a van, causing it to overturn and then catch fire,” said Mabona, describing the accident as a “horrific accident.”

Thousands of schoolchildren in Gauteng, South Africa’s most populous province, rely on private minibuses to get to and from school. Many others rely on public transport, including city buses and taxis.