Three Britons die in Africa crash

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Three Britons, including two 19-year-old female students, have died following a road crash in South Africa.

Officials say the third victim is male, and the British High Commission said four others remain in intensive care.

The tourist bus they were on overturned near Nelspruit in the north-eastern Mpumalanga Province, leaving more than a dozen injured.

Two teachers and 18 students from a college in Leicestershire were on the bus, along with a South African guide.

Police are considering whether to bring charges against the Zimbabwean driver.

The female students died at the scene on the Bulembu Road while the male died later in hospital.

'Shocked'

The students from Brooksby Melton College, aged 18 to 22, were studying for a foundation degree in animal management and welfare.

They arrived in the country on 1 June for a field trip and were due to fly home on Friday.

College principal Chris Ball said: "As you can imagine, we are all deeply shocked and our thoughts and concerns are for the students, their families and staff involved."

The roads in the area were said to be treacherous

The trip was organised by Chameleon Worldwide in Hampshire and the college said it was working closely with them and the South African authorities.

Mpumalanga police captain Leonard Hlathi said the group had been travelling from Swaziland to Nelspruit when the bus crashed.

The BBC's Karen Allen in South Africa said it was understood that the accident happened at about noon local time when the vehicle slid on a sharp bend in the mountainous region near Nelspruit.

She said the roads were "pretty treacherous", but the infrastructure in the surrounding area was good and ambulances would have been quick to get to the scene.

Local reports said some of the injured were trapped under the vehicle for a period of time.

Brenda Greaves told the BBC she had spoken to her daughter Rachel, 20, who was on the bus.

Mrs Greaves said: "She's got some abdominal pains, for which she's had an X-ray, but everything seems to be clear.

"She was wearing a seat belt, she says she was the only one wearing a seat belt - I'm not sure if that's the case - but it seems as if the seat belt sort of caused the pain.

"She said that they were going round a very nasty bend and the driver just lost control and that the bus just toppled over - she didn't really know any more than that."

The British High Commission said that eight people would be staying overnight at the Nelspruit Medi Centre while seven others were staying at a local hospital.

Nicola Brewer, the British High Commissioner to South Africa, said: "My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the three young people who have died in this tragic accident."

Passengers from the fatal crash are being treated at this clinic in Nelspruit

She said she had visited a number of patients in the hospital including the teachers, while consular staff were working on recovering the Britons' belongings.

Mark Wright, managing director of Chameleon Worldwide, said it was a "tragic event" and although his company was finding the situation difficult, this was nothing in comparison what those involved in the accident were going through.

"They're going through serious difficulties at the moment so we're trying to be here to support and care for them," he said.

A team from the company was on the ground dealing with the incident, he said, and more people from the company would be flying out.

Anyone concerned about friends or relatives can call either 01962 737634 or the Foreign and Commonwealth helpline on 020 7008 1500.

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