Elderly church congregants killed in bus crash during trip to place of worship

AT LEAST seven elderly people, who were congregants of the Lutheran Church in Mogalakwena, Limpopo, were tragically killed in a road accident on the R37 towards Lydenburg in Mpumalanga.

The crash happened on Saturday, the Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety said.

“According to reports, the deceased were a part of a group of 'golden boys and girls' who were travelling to Mpumalanga for a church activity when their bus overturned due to a tyre puncture,” the department said.

The Limpopo MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Florence Radzilani, said she has learnt about the tragedy with sadness.

Radzilani has sent messages of condolences to the families of the victims and also wished a speedy recovery to the survivors.

Earlier this year, it was reported that 21 people were killed in a horrific bus crash in Limpopo.

The bus crashed into a cash-in-transit truck on the N1- 29 Mashovhela road, towards Musina in Vhembe District.

The accident involved a bus that was transporting passengers from Makhado Town to areas around Ndzhelele, Siloam and Tshikombani in the Vhembe District.

According to reports, a truck that was overtaking another vehicle lost control and collided with the bus. The bus veered off a bridge and 19 people died on the scene.

Paramedics and rescue personnel were able to retrieve 19 bodies from the crash.

ER24 spokesperson Ross Campbell said most of the victims down at the river had been trapped under the bus.

Police teams were activated to search for passengers who could have been swept away in the river.