Survivors of bus disaster named
2003-05-03 11:54
Bethlehem, Free State - The names of 10 survivors of the Workers' Day bus disaster in the eastern Free State were released on Saturday.
They were identified as Simon Booysen, Ernest Molema, David Moitsi, Joseph Monapule, Sidney Williams, Tshepo Mogorosi, Albert Louw, Neo Lithebe, Theodora van Wyk and Richard Pienaar.
Two of the ten swam ashore in dark and freezing conditions when their coach plunged into the Saulspoort dam near Bethlehem around 05:00 on Thursday.
"They were very lucky - if it was winter, they would not have made it," ambulance officer Rudi Kok said.
Kok said the other eight spent around 20 minutes standing in the water on the roof of the sunken bus before being rescued.
The water temperature in the dam at the time of the accident was around 9 degrees Celsius.
Kok and municipal official Len Slabbert were first on the scene to rescue the ten survivors with Slabbert's rubber boat.
The names of the 51 dead would be announced later on Saturday by the MEC for Roads and Transport for the Northern Cape and Free State, Sekhopi Malebo.
- SAPA