Zimbabwe bound bus in head-on collision on Friday near Ventersburg which claimed five lives while five others were admitted to hospital in a critical condition.
Motorists were advised to use alternative routes as the police and emergency medical services were busy till late afternoon at the accident scene.
Capt. Stephen Thakeng, spokesperson for the police said a case of culpable homicide will be investigated. Thakeng said:
“On Friday, at approximately 13:45, a bus traveling to Zimbabwe and a bakkie traveling from Ventersburg to Bloemfontein collided on the N1 road near the Dampoort Crossing in the Ventersburg district.
“A male and female inside the bakkie were certified dead on the scene, and three others inside the bus were also certified dead, and five were admitted to the hospital with serious injuries.”
According to Izak Herbert, motorist on the scene the traffic piled up for a long time.
Motorists that were coming from Johannesburg had to use the Welkom road towards Bloemfontein, while those traveling from Bloemfontein had to use the R30 road (Brandfort/Theunissen road) towards Johannesburg.
The police and emergency medical services were on the scene for hours after the head on collision on the N1.