TWELVE passengers die in horrific accident involving a bus and a truck.

The truck struck the bus on the side on the R34 near Vryheid, north of KZN in the early hours of Tuesday, 17 June, resulting in the fatalities.

The victims are believed to be members of a political party who were returning from the June 16 rally in Durban.

KZN MEC for Transport and Human Settlement, Siboniso Duma sent messages of condolences to the families.

He said they received a report just after midnight from the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) informing them about a horrific head-on collision involving a truck and a bus.

“We are establishing facts around reports that the bus was transporting supporters of a political party. Based on the report from the RTI, after the head-on collision, the truck struck the side of the bus,” he said.

He said sadly, the sideswipe resulted in the deaths of 12 passengers, who were taken to Vryheid Mortuary.

“Ten passengers were seriously injured and taken to various local hospitals. Twenty-two passengers were slightly injured. Six passengers were not injured. The truck and bus drivers survived and have been taken to hospitals,” he said.

He said the road has been closed to enable emergency services to provide quality care to the surviving passengers.

“At 2am, the scene was still active, and we requested motorists along the R34 Vryheid to be patient. We have agreed with the RTI team that we will work with the Road Traffic Management Corporation and the South African Police Service as part of a comprehensive investigation,” he said.