Seventy-seven people were injured in two bus crashes at the entrance to the university.
- At least 77 people, some of them university students, were injured when two buses collided in Auckland Park, Johannesburg, Tuesday morning.
- nA large number of passengers were thrown out of the vehicles and others were trapped inside.
- The incident occurred near the entrance to the Kingsway Campus of the University of Johannesburg.
A horrific scene greeted Johannesburg paramedics on Tuesday morning when they responded to a report of two buses crashing in Auckland Park and found injured people strewn across the road and passengers trapped inside the vehicles.
At least 77 people were injured in the crash before 8 a.m., according to Emerg Med spokesman Kyle Van Reenen.
Among the injured were three students from the University of Johannesburg who were taken to hospital. Other students sustained minor injuries, which were treated at the university’s medical facility.
Van Reenen said one of the buses overturned and was found on its side when paramedics arrived at the scene.
He said the second missile hit a concrete structure.
He added, “Many patients were found to have injuries ranging from minor to serious. Incident leaders established an on-site triage area, and Emer-G-Med’s Emergency Operations Center dispatched additional resources.”
The Johannesburg Fire Department had to use specialized hydraulic equipment to extract several trapped people from the buses.
Van Reenen added:
At the scene, paramedics worked hard to stabilize the injured before they were taken by ambulance to nearby hospitals for further medical care.
A spokesman for the Johannesburg Metro Police Department, Zolani Vihla, said the incident occurred on Kingsway Road at the entrance to the Kingsway Campus.
He said the accident occurred between a metro bus and a privately owned bus and two of the passengers were in serious condition.
He added that the police will open a case of reckless and negligent driving for investigation.
ER24 spokesman Russell Mering said that when paramedics arrived on the scene, several occupants were seen scurrying around in cars.
He said, “Local authorities began diverting traffic while paramedics tended to patients. Upon assessment, paramedics found that nearly 70 patients had injuries ranging from minor to severe. Fortunately, no deaths were found,” he said.
“The exact details surrounding this incident are not known but the local authorities were at the scene for further investigation,” he added.
The university confirmed that preliminary investigations revealed that 19 of its students were on the bus.
“One of the buses was ferrying students between the university campuses. Various support departments from the university, including medical support services and campus protection at the university, were on the spot to provide assistance,” said university spokesperson Masigu Banyan.
Three students were taken to hospital, while 16 others received treatment for minor injuries on campus.
Banyan said the university’s Center for Psychological Services and Career Development arranged counseling services for the affected students.
Seventy-seven people were injured in two bus crashes at the entrance to the university.
Hermann Esterhuizen of the University of Jamaica said the institution was saddened to hear that its students were injured in the accident.
“Our thoughts are with the affected students and their families. The university will do all it can to ensure that students receive the necessary medical care and counselling.
“The university takes the safety and well-being of its students very seriously, and the university will work closely with the relevant authorities to establish the facts surrounding the incident,” he said.