Durban: In a horrific road accident in South Africa, 17 passengers were killed and 24 others injured when the tyre of their bus bursted in Mpumulanga province today.

The bus was ferrying 56 passengers from Johannesburg to Mozambique, about 300 km north of Pretoria, when it overturned and burst into flames after its left tyre bursted.

"The bus veered across the oncoming lane and hit a tree before overturning and bursting into flames," Vukani Mnyandu, a government spokesperson said.

When the police arrived at the scene, the bus was burning with all the passengers trapped inside, he said.

"Cutters and spreaders had to be used to get the passengers out. Eighteen of them managed to escape", he added.

Among the dead are three children between seven and nine years of age.

This is the second bus mishap in Mpumalanga in the past one month. On March 5,12 people died and over 60 were injured when a bus overturned and crashed.

Source : PTI