Preliminary report on N1 Limpopo bus accident released
The Department of Transport has released a preliminary report on the bus accident that resulted in the tragic loss of 43 lives on the N1 near Ingwe lodge in Limpopo on Sunday, 13 October.
The bus had been transporting passengers from Zimbabwe and Malawi who were travelling from the Eastern Cape to their home countries when it veered off the road along a steep mountain pass and plunged down an embankment.
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According to the report released on Friday, one of the major contributing factors to the cause of the bus crash was speed. It is said the driver of the bus drove at a speed too high for the conditions down the mountain pass.
It was also established that the bus and trailer only had five out of the ten brakes in operational condition, and that one brake on the bus had no braking ability.
The bus was also reportedly overloaded, carrying 91 occupants while it can only accommodate 62 persons.
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It has also been ascertained that 43 occupants within the Bus sustained fatal injuries as a result of this crash. 34 occupants sustained serious injuries, and a further six occupants sustained slight injuries.
Meanwhile, the Road Traffic Management Corporation [RTMC] investigation is still ongoing, and it will take 21 weeks to complete the final technical reconstruction report.
The investigation will also look at what happened at the weigh bridges where the issue of overloading was supposed to have been detected.
