Nearly 77 people were injured on Tuesday morning after two buses collided in Auckland Park, near the University of Johannesburg (UJ).
One of the buses was on its way to the university to drop off students.
Kyle van Reenen, spokesperson for Emer-G-Med, says paramedics were called to Kingsway Avenue shortly before 08:00.
“One of the buses was lying on its side across the width of the road and the other bus collided with a concrete structure,” he says.
The Johannesburg fire brigade used hydraulic equipment to remove numerous passengers from the buses, while emergency services carried out a priority assessment to determine which patients required immediate treatment.
Paramedics from Emer-G-Med, as well as ER24 and various other emergency services, treated the dozens of patients who were seriously injured.
Russel Meiring, spokesperson for ER24, says these patients were provided with advanced life support before being taken to various hospitals for further treatment.
The rest of the patients were treated for minor to serious injuries.
“No deaths have been reported,” says Meiring.
Herman Esterhuizen, media relations manager at UJ, says it is understood that 19 of the injured were students at UJ.
“Three of the students were taken to a hospital and the rest are currently receiving counseling on campus,” he says.
“It is regrettable that some of our students were injured during the accident. The university will do everything possible to ensure that the students receive the necessary medical treatment and counselling.”
The cause of the accident is being investigated.
UJ also undertook to work with the relevant authorities to determine the cause and nature of the events this morning.
Meanwhile, police are helping to divert traffic in the area.
JHB – Auckland Park: #BusCrash near the entrance to UJ – HEAVY TRAFFIC in the area #UJBusCrash pic.twitter.com/lE9lLmrmgn
— TrafficSA (@TrafficSA) July 25, 2023
