Three learners and a scholar transport driver have died following a head-on collision between a minibus transporting schoolchildren and a truck on the R57 at the R59 bridge near Sasolburg in the Free State.
The fatal crash occurred on Thursday, 8 October 2026, leaving four people dead and several other occupants injured.
According to information released by Free State Road Incident Management Systems (RIMS) chairperson Sipho Towa, the deceased were the driver of the scholar transport vehicle and three learners who were travelling in the minibus.
The collision involved a scholar transport minibus and a heavy motor vehicle. Emergency services and law enforcement officials responded to the scene to assist the injured, investigate the circumstances and manage the aftermath of the crash.
One critically injured patient was airlifted to a medical facility in Gauteng, while four other people reportedly sustained minor injuries and received medical attention.
The identities of the deceased had not been publicly released in the initial reports.
Police investigate fatal collision
Sasolburg police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision. A case of culpable homicide has been opened, according to information published by Arrive Alive on Friday, 9 October.
Police information indicates that the scholar transport vehicle was travelling from Vaalpark towards Sasolburg when it collided head-on with a Mercedes-Benz truck travelling in the direction of Vereeniging.
The truck driver survived the collision.
The exact cause of the crash has not been confirmed, and the circumstances leading to the head-on collision remain under investigation. No confirmed findings have been released establishing why the vehicles collided.
Road closures and traffic disruption
The collision caused significant disruption in the area, with the road affected by the emergency response and the work of law enforcement officials.
Motorists were urged to avoid the affected area where possible, follow instructions from traffic officials and use alternative routes while emergency personnel attended to the scene.
The incident has once again highlighted the serious consequences of road collisions involving vehicles transporting schoolchildren.
The investigation remains ongoing, and further details about the victims and the circumstances of the crash may be released as authorities provide updates.
OTHER NEWS
Two wanted murder suspects killed in KZN shootout after stolen goats lead police to hideout
Two men wanted in connection with murder and attempted murder were killed in a shootout with police in Tafelkop, KwaZulu-Natal, after an investigation into stolen goats led officers to the property where the suspects were allegedly hiding.
The incident unfolded in the KwaNdengezi policing precinct on Thursday after Mariannhill police received information concerning a herd of suspected stolen goats.
Police followed up on the information and went to a property on Intake Road in Tafelkop.
Thirty goats were recovered from the premises during the operation.
The recovery of the livestock was followed by further intelligence linking the same property to wanted suspects.
Police were informed that men wanted in connection with murder and attempted murder offences were hiding out at the premises.
Officers then returned to the property as part of an operation to locate the suspects.
According to information available on the incident, the suspects opened fire when police approached, resulting in an exchange of gunfire between the men and law enforcement officers.
Two of the wanted suspects were fatally wounded during the shootout.
A third suspect managed to escape from the scene and is now the subject of a police manhunt.
The fleeing suspect is believed to have been armed and police are searching for him following the shooting.
The incident began with the investigation into the suspected theft of livestock, but the subsequent intelligence received by police led officers to the wanted suspects at the same property.
The 30 recovered goats form part of the investigation into the alleged stock theft.
The identities of the two men killed in the shootout, as well as further details concerning the murder and attempted murder cases for which they were wanted, had not been released in the information available at the time of publication.
Police have also not provided further details about the firearms allegedly used during the confrontation.
The search for the third suspect remains underway.
Members of the public are urged to exercise caution and to provide police with information that could assist in locating the wanted man rather than approaching him themselves.
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shootout and the recovered livestock is continuing.
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