Doha: South African authorities announced today that at least 42 people were killed in a passenger bus crash in a mountainous area in the north of the country. The accident occurred on the N1 highway near the town of Louis Trichardt, about 400 km north of Pretoria, when the bus veered off the road and plunged into a dam along a steep mountain pass.

According to Qatar News Agency, South Africa's News24 quoted spokesman for the Road Traffic Management Corporation Simon Zwane as saying that authorities have so far confirmed 42 deaths, while emergency teams are still verifying the final number of casualties and injuries. The provincial government indicated that the bus was heading from the Eastern Cape in South Africa to the north of the country, and confirmed that investigations are underway to determine the cause of the tragic accident.