A jubilant church reunion turned into a catastrophe when a single-decker coach overturned on the N2 near Swellendam, killing at least five people.
The crash occurred on Friday afternoon, leaving a further 48 people injured.
The occupants of the bus were returning to the Mother City after spending five days at the Carmel Coastal Retreat near George.
The bus overturned after the driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle.
Preliminary reports revealed that five people died and that 48 were injured.
The passengers of the bus were parishioners from various churches, including St. Aidan's, St. Saviour's and St. Matthew's.
The deceased were identified as Liezel Christiansen, Maureen Viret, Amy Roberts and Beatrice Maaneveldt.
By the time of going to print, the fifth victim had not been identified.
The group activities were posted on the St. Aidan’s Lansdowne Facebook post. In the last post, the seniors are having breakfast before hitting the road.
The post was captioned, “Breakfast before hitting the road home. Praying for safe travelling mercies”, and was accompanied by pictures of the parishioners.
Gender-based violence activist, Reverend June Dolley, expressed her grief over the incident. Dolly said St. Aidan's was her home parish - she was baptised, confirmed and became a priest from there.
Dolley said her heart broke when she received the news about the accident.
“I know most of the people on that bus. I'm from St. Aidan's Church, I was there for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services. I grew up in front of the seniors, the others I also know from St. Aidan's, and from St. Saviour's and St. Matthew's where I ministered as a priest. It was a dark day for all of us yesterday,” she said.
She further added messages between parishioners were going back and forth, hoping that no one else would die.
“I never slept last night, it all felt so surreal, like it was a bad dream. My prayers are with the families and the various church communities. It is all so heartbreaking,” she said.
Premier Alan Winde has expressed his condolences.
“I would like to send my most sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased. For now, we are focused on a coordinated response to give all victims the best possible care and ensure safety at the scene,” said Winde.
Minister of Mobility, Ricardo Mackenzie also expressed his condolences and said: “This incident is a chilling reminder to everyone that we need to be extra vigilant on our roads this long weekend. Provincial Traffic Officers are out in full force to prevent more crashes, as they are every day of the year, but we need the support of each road user. Please take care, buckle up, don’t speed, take breaks when tired, don’t use your cell phone while driving, and don’t drink and drive.”
Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo said: “The most critical patients had been airlifted to Groote Schuur, Tygerberg and George Hospitals. Referrals are being sent to Worcester Regional Hospital with our EMS vehicles.
“In relation to treatment, patients are being triaged accordingly on site and the green patients are being seen at the local clinic, while the rest are being treated at Swellendam Hospital.”
St. Aiden’s Church in Lansdowne said they were not at liberty to give comments regarding the incident, except to say there was an outpouring of love and condolences for the families of the deceased.
Weekend Argus