Five learners were killed and 11 others injured following a horrific crash between a bus and a train in Mpumalanga on Wednesday.
"The five pupils lost their lives when a bus they were travel in collided with a train on the R104 Road near Mafube Village, between Wonderfontein and Arnot in the afternoon," the Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison said in a statement.
It is believed that the train collided with a bus carrying around 30 learners from Morneg School as the bus was crossing the railway line.
The department's Moeti Mmusi said the five learners died at the scene. The bus and train drivers were also injured.
Department MEC, Jackie Macie, expressed shock at the tragic crash and is calling for a thorough investigation into the circumstances around the crash.
"We cannot lose such young and innocent lives due to recklessness. People need to take accountability for their negligence.
"Scholar transport and public transport owners must screen drivers before hiring them to know if they are really fit to be trusted with transporting people. They must also regularly educate them, test and train them to avoid these kind of incidences," Macie said.
Last month, 12 learners were killed in a crash in Carletonville. Eleven of the learners were from Rocklands Primary School while the 12th learner attended Laerskool Blyvooruitsig.
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