The town of Keimoes in the Northern Cape is deeply mourning the loss of 10 beloved locals who were among the victims of a tragic bus crash on Vanrhyns Pass in the Western Cape on Monday, Cape {town} Etc reports.
Also read: Bus owner claims driver error for Van Rhyns Pass crash that killed 10
The workers, who had just enjoyed a weekend with their families, were heading back to their jobs at the Scatec solar farm in Ceres.
Their bus, operated by TP Williams Vervoer, experienced a tyre blowout, causing it to go off the road and roll down the mountainside.
Cape {town} Etc previously reported that the accident occurred around 5:20pm on the R27 between kilometre marks 37 and 38.
The owner of TP Williams Vervoer speculated that the incident was caused by a driver error.
‘I went to the accident site. The bus was roadworthy, went through a test two months ago, it had the licence, it had the permit and it had insurance,’ he said in an interview with Cape Argus.
‘It was fine, this is just a driver error accident.’
A total of 38 construction workers were on board the bus, including 28-year-old Sebastiaan Nimeerhoudt, who by this time had worked for Scatec for a year.
‘My brother had been working in Kenhardt for the same company and this year he started working in Ceres. He came back for the weekend (…) all of them came back,’ his sister Desmone Nimeerhoudt told DFA.
One of Sebastiaan’s colleagues had told her about the accident. ‘A guy from his workplace informed us that my brother was one of those who didn’t make it.’
‘We have not yet been to the hospital to claim his body because no one has come to us, we only spoke to the mayor. We want to know what happened. After we were told of the accident, we didn’t hear anything else.’
‘People are broken, none of us expected this, it’s tragic for all of us.’
Kai !Garib Mayor Marshall Matthys told DFA the entire town is in mourning. ‘Everybody is mourning, in an emotional state; we tried to comfort those affected during the church service on Wednesday morning. Most of the deceased are from Keimoes and one is from Upington.’
A mass memorial service for the deceased will be held on Sunday.
Ward Councillor Yolande Scheffers also extended her condolences:
According to Western Cape police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi, the bus driver also lost his life in the crash. ‘The driver of the vehicle that left the road on Monday on the Vanrhyns Pass is among the 10 victims who were sadly declared deceased.’
‘The circumstances surrounding this incident now form part of an investigation by integrated specialists to confirm the cause of the crash.’
‘We appeal to all to allow the investigating team time to conduct their investigation without interference in a bid to present a true and accurate report.’
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Picture: Kai !Garib Municipality / Facebook