The N1 north between Louis Trichardt and Musina has been reopened following the fatal bus accident in the Soutpansberg mountain pass during the early hours of Thursday morning, 19 February. It has since been confirmed that five people died in the accident, although it is not yet known how many were injured or the extent of their injuries.
Traffic on the busy N1 north was severely disrupted to allow emergency personnel and members of the police’s forensic teams to clear the scene. Alternative routes directed motorists either via Waterpoort or through Siloam, depending on the direction from which they were travelling.
The accident occurred near the notorious Ingwe Lodge hairpin turn, which not long ago claimed the lives of 44 people, also in a cross-border bus crash.
Earlier today, the scene was visited by the MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Violet Mathye. Tshifhiwa Dali, the MEC’s media liaison officer, said the bus carrying passengers lost control and rolled down an embankment in the area. The exact cause of the accident remains under investigation.