RSOE EDIS: South Africa - Vehicle Accident - 2009.12.20

RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service Budapest, Hungary RSOE EDIS ALERTMAIL

2009-12-20 08:58:09 - Vehicle Accident - South Africa EDIS CODE: VI-20091220-24237-ZAF Date & Time: 2009-12-20 08:58:09 [UTC] Area: South Africa, Eastern Cape, , Engcobo Number of death person(s): 10 Number of Injured person(s): 38 Damage level: Heavy (Level 3) Not confirmed information! Description: Fatigue is suspected to be the cause of an accident in Eastern Cape which claimed 10 lives on Saturday, the Department of Transport said. "According to preliminary reports, fatigue may have been a contributing factor to this crash," said transport spokesman Logan Maistry. "A team of accident investigation and reconstruction specialists have been dispatched by Department of Transportation." The accident happened at 11am when a bus driver missed a curve and careened into a tavern in Engcobo, said Arrive Alive spokesman Tshepo Machaea. Rescue workers had to free tavern patrons who were trapped beneath the bus. The accident left 10 dead and 38 injured who have been taken to various hospitals. Doctors had to be called from hospitals in the surrounding areas to help treat the injured, said provincial health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo. The Vaal Maseru Bus Services vehicle was transporting shoppers from Rustenburg to Mthatha. The bus driver could not take a breathalyzer test because of his injuries, Machaea said. Blood samples were taken which will be sent for analysis on Monday, he said. Maistry said drivers and company operators must police themselves when it comes to fatigue. "Traffic officers can check for road worthiness, drinking and drug use, but fatigue is left up to the conscience of the drivers and operators," he said. "Operators must not put profit before the lives of commuters and not risk the lives of commuters," said Maistry. He said that drivers were restricted to only working eight hours at a time, after which they must be relieved. Maistry said government was calling on drivers to refuse to drive more than eight hours at a time and would look to partner with the labour federation to combat fatigue. Posted:2009-12-20 08:58:09 [UTC] Please DO NOT reply to this message: replies may be treated as errors and result in your subscription being deleted. If you have trouble or other queries, send email to havaria@rsoe.hu RSOE EDIS is operated by the National Association of Radio-Distress Signalling and Infocommunications (RSOE), Budapest, Hungary. Because of the complexity of this system and its dependence on other systems, we cannot be responsible for delays or failures in forwarding or transmission. You're receiving this AlertMail because you subscribed for the service. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. Contact: havaria@rsoe.hu