Families bid farewell to schoolchildren in South Africa killed in a school bus crash

Dozens of mourners gathered at a sports complex in the South African city of Vereeniging on Sunday to bid farewell to three schoolchildren killed in a school bus crash.

Panyaza Lesufi, the premier of Gauteng province, addressed the crowd, saying the tragedy was being mourned not only by the families, but by the nation as a whole.

“We come here hurt. We come here disappointed. We come here disturbed. We come here limping and our emotions drained," he said.

The memorial service was attended by government ministers, pupils from several schools and members of the public, who gathered to show solidarity with the bereaved families.

A cousin of one of the children described her as bubbly and full of life, saying she loved dancing.

Sindisiwe Chikunga, the minister in the presidency for women, youth and persons with disabilities, said the affected families were being kept in the nation’s prayers.

“Your grief is the nation’s grief. Your love is the nation’s lesson," she said.

Two teenage girls died on Thursday of their injuries from the crash in Gauteng province, raising the death toll to 14, authorities said, as the bus driver was charged with murder.

The private minibus was transporting 16 students to various primary and high schools in the south of Johannesburg on Monday when it collided with a truck around 7 a.m., leaving 12 children dead at the scene, according to authorities.

Seven people, including five students, the bus driver and a passenger in the truck, were injured and hospitalized. Three of the seven injured were discharged.