Driver reportedly lost control of vehicle
“It is alleged that the driver lost control, colliding with barriers on the bridge causing the bus to go over the bridge and hitting the ground, where it caught fire,” the transport ministry said in a statement.
Images released by the transport ministry show the bus lying on its side, shattered by the impact of the fall. Its windows and roof appear to have caved in, while the shell of the trailer it was towing is visible in the distance.
Its paint appears to have been stripped away by the blaze as firemen, standing a short distance away, hose it down.
Other images on social media, apparently taken from the bridge, show a fire raging from the crash site as black smoke billows into the sky.
The bridge remains closed and motorists have been told to use alternative routes.
While South Africa has one of the African continent’s most developed road networks, it also suffers from one of the worst safety records.
Just several hours before the crash, President Cyril Ramaphosa appealed to South Africans to take care when travelling during the Easter week.
“Let’s do our best to make this a safe Easter. Easter does not have to be a time where we sit back and wait to see statistics on tragedy or injuries on our roads,” he said in a statement.