Thirty-two people were injured this evening when a double-decker bus was apparently thrown with what was described by some patients as ‘petrol bombs’.
Paramedics arrived on the scene in Onverwacht Road, Strand, where they found the bus well alight. Numerous people were standing around the bus and some were being cared for by locals from a nearby informal settlement.
Emergency services joined forces to set up a local triage area to treat the injured. Four people sustained serious injuries and were rushed off to nearby hospitals for treatment. Twenty-eight others were treated for minor to moderate smoke inhalation and burn wounds. Sadly, two people, both believed to be men, succumbed in the fire.
Bystanders on the scene explained that emergency services were on the scene very quickly, however the bus was already engulfed in flames. Some of the bystanders explained that they initially thought that shacks were on fire. When they went to investigate they found the bus burning in the road.
The police and local authorities attended the incident and will conduct an investigation into the matter.