12 dead, dozens hurt as a bus overturns and passengers are thrown on a highway in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A bus overturned on a highway Tuesday and passengers were thrown out of it, killing at least 12 people and injuring 45 in the South African city of Johannesburg, emergency services said.

Emergency crews were trying to lift the bus back onto its wheels to see if any more victims were trapped underneath it, said William Nthladi, a spokesperson for the city’s Ekurhuleni Emergency Management.

“On arrival we found patients lying across the road,” Nthladi said.

The early-morning crash happened on a highway near Johannesburg’s main O.R. Tambo International Airport. The bus was lying on its side near the edge of the highway. It had been transporting people from the township or Katlehong, east of Johannesburg, officials said.

Nthladi said 12 people were declared dead at the scene of the crash by paramedics.

Nthladi said he also couldn’t give exact details on the extent of the injuries but said they ranged from serious to critical. The driver was among those taken to the hospital.

No other vehicle was involved in the crash and officials weren’t yet able to determine the cause. Police are investigating and the crash was being treated as a crime scene because of the fatalities, Nthladi said.

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