Seventeen families arrive at Tshilidzini Hospital to identify loved ones from the N1 bus tragedy claiming 43 lives.
The identification and fingerprinting of the remains of 43 Zimbabweans who died in a bus accident on the N1 road between Musina and Makhado on Sunday has begun in Limpopo.
Limpopo premier Phophi Ramathuba said yesterday that the process will culminate in the repatriation of the bodies to Zimbabwe.
Police said the bus, traveling from the Eastern Cape to Zimbabwe, was carrying 91 passengers when it veered off the Zoutpansberg mountain in Makhado on Sunday.
Identification of 43 Zimbabweans killed in a Limpopo bus crash
Police said 43 lost their lives, 40 received medical attention in different medical facilities, while eight self-discharged.
By Tuesday, 17 bereaved families had arrived at Tshilidzini Hospital to identify their loved ones.
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Ramathuba said the identification team had taken photographs of all the deceased and that the provincial government encouraged families searching for their loved ones to visit the hospital as part of the identification process.
“Some of the bodies do not have identification, which makes the process a bit tedious to make sure all the remains land in the hands of the correct families. It is only then that they will be able to repatriate them.”
Investigating cause of accident
Ramathuba said investigations into the cause of the accident “will take time as we analyse why the bus travelled such a long distance with so many passengers”.
The department of transport is engaging with Zimbabwean authorities.
