13 kids hurt as minibus overturns
THIRTEEN pupils were injured when an overloaded 15-seater minibus taxi overturned with 21 schoolchildren on board yesterday.
The crash happened in peakhour traffic on the busy Black Road outside Scenery Park, East London at 7.45am.
Police are looking for a barefooted driver who fled the scene.
The 13 hurt pupils were rushed to Frere Hospital and treated mostly for bruises, while eight were treated for minor injuries at the scene and released to their parents.
East London police spokeswoman Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala said the driver had disappeared, leaving his slipslops behind.
A case of reckless and negligent driving was opened at the Scenery Park police station, said Mqala. “When we arrived at the scene dozens of children were crying after sustaining bruises, and the driver was nowhere to be found. We are working closely with the schools and traffic officials to try and apprehend the driver.”
Mqala said witnesses told police the driver fled into the bush. Eastern Cape transport spokeswoman Khuselwa Rantjie said the Toyota Quantum broke an axle and lost a front wheel on a bend, causing it to overturn.
The taxi was overloaded, which was a serious concern in the province, she added.
Rantjie said the pupils were from a number of East London schools. The taxi was not contracted by the department’s scholar transport programme.
Rantjie said investigating officers would visit the schools and get full details of the children.
Eastern Cape education spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said trauma counselling would be offered by the department to all the accident survivors.
Provincial health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said the children were treated at Frere hospital for minor injuries.
Mtima appealed to taxi owners and drivers to adhere to vehicle safety regulations and the rules of the road. —