00:0113 school children killed in a tragic road crash south of Johannesburg.
00:06Police say a minibus transporting the students to school collided with a truck
00:11near the industrial city of Vanderbilt Park, about 60 kilometres from Johannesburg.
00:16Investigators believe the driver lost control while attempting to overtake other vehicles.
00:21The death toll rose after one critically injured child later died in hospital.
00:26Several other students remained seriously hurt.
00:29Authorities say the victims included both primary and high school students,
00:33some as young as six years old.
00:36Images from the scene showed the minibus crushed on the roadside
00:39as distraught parents gathered behind police tape.
00:42Some collapsed in grief when they were allowed to identify the bodies.
00:45The crash once again highlights South Africa's road safety crisis.
00:49Despite a modern road network, speeding, reckless driving
00:53and poorly maintained vehicles remain common.
00:56Many parents depend on private minibuses to get their children to school
01:00due to limited public transport options.
01:03The tragedy follows a series of deadly school transport accidents in recent months.
01:08More than 11,400 people were killed on South African roads in 2025,
01:14underscoring the urgent need for safer travel.
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