12 dead as bus overturns in South Africa

On Tuesday, a bus overturned on a South African highway and passengers were thrown out of it, killing at least 12 people and injuring 45 in Johannesburg, emergency services said. Emergency crews were trying to lift the bus back onto its wheels to see if any more victims were trapped underneath it, said William Nthladi, a spokesperson for the city’s Ekurhuleni Emergency Management. “On arrival we found patients lying across the road,” Nthladi said. The bodies of some of the victims lay on the highway near the bus and were covered with silver blankets. Two bodies were still trapped in the wreckage, Nthladi said. Handbags, a lunch box and a water bottle were visible among the belongings. “We are lost for words. This is a disaster,” said Andile Mngwevu, a local city councillor who went to the scene. “To see so many bodies lying around is quite saddening, and the city really feels for the families who would have expected to see their loved ones return home later today. Our hearts are extremely heavy right now.”