The 2020 Centane Bus Accident was a road accident in
Centane
Centane, formerly Kentane or Kentani is a settlement in Amathole District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated at approximately from Butterworth, Eastern Cape, Butterworth.
History
Centane was the site o ...
,
Eastern Cape,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
that occurred on March 2, 2020. 25 people were killed and approximately 62 were injured when a 65-seater bus plunged into a deep gorge. The bus had been travelling from Cebe village heading to
Butterworth.
According to witness accounts from the survivors, the bus, which was mainly transporting pensioners and young children and was allegedly overloaded, veered off the gravel road and plunged into a deep gorge, killing 25 people including the driver. The eastern cape transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose said that passengers had complained to the driver about the speed at which he was going. A number of injured passengers were airlifted to nearby hospitals.
The accident sent shockwaves across South Africa. The president of the country
Cyril Ramaphosa
Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician who is currently serving as the fifth democratically elected president of South Africa. Formerly an anti-apartheid activist, trade union leader, and ...
offered his condolences to families of the victims involved in the accident.
The Minister of Transport also offered his condolences.
Aftermath
President Cryil Ramaphosa promised to improve the infrastructure in Centane.
On 13 March 2020, a
mass burial was held for the victims.
References
Eastern Cape
2020 in South Africa
Road incidents in South Africa
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