A horror crash has claimed the lives of 20 people and left 68 others injured in an accident involving a tour bus and a cash-in-transit van on a bridge in Limpopo province, police and emergency services confirmed on Tuesday.The head-on collision took place on the main national highway in the Makhado area where the accident occurred Monday evening, according to an ER24 emergency services official. 

Following the collision, the bus rolled off the freeway bridge and fell into the river below, landing on its side.

“Three people were found deceased by the roadside and 16 down by the river. All were declared dead on arrival at the hospital,” the ER24 official said.

He added: “One patient, of the 69 passengers confirmed transported to the hospital for various injuries, has since died.” 

The emergency medical care provider said most of the fatalities were due to victims being trapped under the bus.

A police diving team is searching the river for people who might have been swept away, a Ministry of Transport and Community Safety official said.

The official said of those hurt in the crash, “10 passengers are reported to have sustained serious injuries, 16 moderate and 35 minor injuries.”

Police said the cause of the accident was still under investigation but heavy rains have been falling in the area like in the rest of the country, that led the government to declare flooding as a national state of disaster on Monday.