AFP/Johannesburg
A worker walks past the bus that crashed yesterday on the R59 highway near Meyerton, south of Johannesburg
Nineteen people died yesterday in South Africa when a bus plummeted off a bridge during morning rush hour in Meyerton, south of Johannesburg, emergency services said.
“The 19 people were declared dead at the scene, five of them were found underneath the wreckage,” said ER 24 spokeswoman Vanessa Jackson.
“No other cars were involved in the accident and it is not clear what caused it. Other people were transported to hospital with minor injuries,” she added.
Police were investigating the cause of the accident.
Despite good infrastructure, South African roads are among the most dangerous in the world, with some 13,000 people killed every year - more than 35 a day. Public transport accounts for most of the accidents.