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Eastern Cape families visit horror crash site

Durban - At the end of a veritable black weekend on the roads in the Eastern Cape, the families of 10 Cradock accident victims have visited the crash scene on Tuesday.

They were accompanied by officials of the Eastern Cape Transport department, Road Accident Fund and social workers.

According to a statement issued by the department, the grieving families would also be taken to the mortuary, where they will identify the deceased.

The 10 died when a minibus overturned on the R61 between Cradock and Graaff-Reinet on Saturday.

On the same day, 35 people died when the bus in which they were travelling plunged into a dry river near the Congo Bridge near Nkelekethe Village, between Butterworth and Willowvale.

The Eastern Cape government has declared the two accidents a provincial disaster.

Transport MEC Weziwe Tikana said: "This is a very difficult period for all of us in the province, and we would like to convey our condolences to the affected families and wish those that are still in hospital a speedy recovery."

"We call upon all our drivers to exercise caution at all times. Those who are driving long-distance vehicles must always find time to rest to avoid fatigue, which we suspect [played a role] in some of the accidents that occurred at the weekend," she said.

A mass memorial service will be held for the victims at the Thobi Kula Indoor Sports Centre on Friday.

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