Impromptu prayer service held at scene of crash that killed 4 school children

Shards of glasses‚ school bags‚ newly covered books‚ wheel brake shoes‚ blood and accident debris on the corner of Ngcebo and Mbondwe roads of F Section in Ntuzuma painted a stark picture of the tragic start to the school year for four pupils and their families on Wednesday.

Thuli Dlamini

The four - one from Sibonelo High School and three from Sivananda Technical High school - are believed to have been in a taxi with other school pupils when it collided with an oncoming bus.

Thuli Dlamini 

Hundreds of people gathered at the accident site as news spread of the crash.

One of them was distraught father Nkosinathi Mjwara‚ whose daughter Thabisile Myeni‚ 16 died. Her brother‚ Benny‚ 13 was taken to hospital.

Mjwara was inconsolable.

Thuli Dlamini

Paramedics at the scene of the crash‚ which occurred at about 7am on Wednesday‚ said one teenager in a critical condition was airlifted to Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital with serious head injuries.

Thuli Dlamini

Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha said seven other pupils were in a serious condition‚ while 10 others - including the taxi and bus drivers - were treated for minor injuries. They were transported to nearby hospitals.

A traffic policeman on the scene said the drivers would be breathalysed.

Thuli Dlamini

Police had to control about 100 community members who were furious with the taxi driver. The community members calmed down during an impromptu prayer service held on the side of the road.

Among those who attended the service was cooperative governance MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube MEC‚ who had been visiting schools around Durban.

Dressed in a school uniform‚ Dube-Ncube was visibly moved during the prayer service.

– TMG Digital/The Times