5 bus victims identified
2009-07-10 14:48
Beaufort West - Five of the seven victims killed in a horror bus crash in Beaufort West have been identified, Western Cape police said on Friday.
Captain David de Klerk said three were Zimbabweans, one was from Congo and another from Lesotho.
"Some bodies have already been moved back to their home towns for funeral arrangements," he said.
Two other victims had yet to be identified. Fifty people were injured in the accident.
De Klerk said investigations into Tuesday's accident were continuing.
He also rejected traffic authority comments that the SA Roadlink bus driver was injured in the accident.
"There were two drivers on the bus at the time and one was a co-driver. Both of them were uninjured," said De Klerk.
The coach lost control on the N1 freeway en-route from Johannesburg to Cape Town.
Hours later, a second SA Roadlink bus sent to pick up stranded passengers was pulled off the road and found to be unroadworthy. The town's traffic chief Willie Van Rooyen said there were problems with its brakes, the engine cap was not fitted properly, and the left headlamp was loose.
Both Roadlink drivers had also failed to comply with their permit conditions, as both coaches were not allowed to travel on the N1 freeway.
SA Roadlink spokesperson Mapaseka Mashele had not been available for comment since 08:00 on Thursday.
A switchboard operator taking her messages said Mashele would not be speaking to the media.
- SAPA