At least 20 killed in school bus crash in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG. KAZINFORM At least 18 children and two adults were killed on Friday when their minibus crashed into a truck during a school trip in South Africa, a spokesman for emergency services said.

The children were primary and secondary school students and were killed when the collision caused the bus to burst into flames, near the northern town of Bronkhorstspruit.

"Once the flames had been extinguished, paramedics found that approximately 13 children were lying trapped inside the vehicle. Unfortunately, nothing could be done for the children and they were declared dead on the scene," said the spokesman.

On their official Twitter account, emergency services posted a picture of the scorched minibus lying on its side beside the truck it had crashed with.
 

At the time of the accident, the bus was taking the children home after a school trip.
Gauteng's regional education counselor, Panyaza Lesufi, said it was carrying more people on board than is permitted.

Emergency services said the cause of the crash was as yet unknown, but that authorities were on the scene to begin an investigation.

Source: EFE .