A bus carrying church group members crashed in South Africa's Western Cape earlier today, Mar. 15, killing 24 people according to the Associated Press. A total of 60 passengers were on board the bus when the crash occurred.
"Twenty-three died on the scene and one person on the way to hospital," said Faiza Steyn, Western Cape health spokeswoman.
Rescue teams had to use a crane to lift up the bus and cut away its body to retrieve the victims trapped under the overturned vehicle according to AFP News.
Approximately forty-five others were taken to a local hospital for injuries suffered during the crash. Two of the 24 that died were children.
"A lot of the passengers were trapped under the bus, we had to use a huge crane to lift the bus to get the passengers out underneath," Kenny Africa, provincial traffic services head said to AFP.
Keri Davids, a spokeswoman for the health department of the Western Cape provincial government, says the dead include 22 females and two males according to the Associated Press.
Local police officials have indicated that the crash occurred because of braking issues. The driver tried to stop the bus before swerving off the road but it wouldn't stop.
"This is a terrible tragedy. We urge people to be extra cautious when it is raining and to follow all the rules of the road," Inkatha Freedom Party spokesperson Petros Sithole said according to Times Live.
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