Bus crash kills at least 20 in South Africa

At least 20 people, mostly school children, were killed in a bus crash outside the South African capital Pretoria on Friday, emergency services said.

The minibus was carrying children from school when it collided head-on with a truck and burst into flames on a road between the towns of Verena and Bronkhorstspruit, about 50 kilometers east of Pretoria.

Passersby helped pull out some of the youngsters, who were believed to be primary and secondary school children.

Emergency services had to put out the flames before they could recover most of the victims from the burnt out wreckage.

They confirmed that the minibus driver had also been killed.

Paramedics said seven children had sustained injuries ranging from minor to critical and had been taken to local hospitals.

Video footage shot by emergency services showed the minibus charred beyond recognition.

The cause of the collision is still under investigation.

Education authorities have called it a “dark day” for the country.