World

South Africa Crash Kills 23

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

December 23, 1998 / 9:57 AM EST / CBS

At least 23 holiday travellers were killed and several were injured on Wednesday when the bus they were riding in collided with a truck in South Africa's Western Cape province, national radio said.

The South African Broadcasting Corporation radio said the accident in the rural town of Laingsburg occurred in the early hours of Wednesday between a bus travelling from Cape Town to Eastern Cape province and an 18-wheel truck carrying fertilizer.

Wayne Smith, who was part of an emergency rescue team, told a radio reporter it was likely that both the bus and truck were travelling at high speed.

"The one whole side of the bus from the right hand side front to the right hand side back has been taken out and that includes the seats. And that's literally what happened on impact," said Smith.

Some of the injured were airlifted to nearby hospitals.

Smith said the death toll was likely to rise later in the day because of the seriousness of some of the injuries.

Both drivers were among the dead and at least four children also perished. Most of the passengers on the bus were thought to have been asleep when the two vehicles collided.

Highway accidents cause numerous fatalities in South Africa and clogged roads during the holidays have increased the danger. The government has launched a major public information campaign to stem the carnage, but the death toll already stands at more than 430 this month.