Twelve schoolchildren and their driver tragically lost their lives in South Africa on Wednesday when their minibus overturned and caught fire in Gauteng province, officials reported. The accident occurred a day after schools reopened following the winter holidays.

The crash, which injured seven other children, happened in the town of Merafong, west of Johannesburg. Reports indicate that a small truck, known locally as a bakkie, slammed into the back of the minibus, causing it to overturn and erupt into flames.

Education and transport officials, along with the head of the Gauteng provincial government, Panyaza Lesufi, visited the crash site and the injured children at a hospital in Carletonville.

Steve Mabona, spokesman for the Gauteng education department, confirmed that eleven of the deceased children attended Rocklands Primary School, while the twelfth child went to Laerskool Blyvooruitsig in Carletonville. He described the incident as a “horrific accident.”

Thousands of schoolchildren in Gauteng rely on private minibuses for their daily commute to and from school, highlighting the critical role of these vehicles in the region’s transportation network.