A bus crash in Limpopo province, South Africa has claimed at least 20 lives, news agency AFP reported, citing a local transport official.

Spokesperson for the Department of Transport and Community Safety in Limpopo Vongani Chauke told AFP news agency that the bus had been shuttling staff from the Venetia Diamond Mine, operated by De Beers, when it crashed in the north of the country.

Cause of collision not known

"The bus came into collision with a lorry," Chauke said, and added that the crash took place around 1600 UTC, some 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the mine, near Musina, which is close to the border with Zimbabwe.

Details surrounding the cause of the collision are not yet known.

The Venetia mine is the largest diamond mine in the country, accounting for more than 40 percent of South Africa's annual diamond production, and employing more than 4,300 people.

South Africa's road safety record

South Africa ranks highly when it comes to road infrastructure on the continent, however it also has a questionable road safety record.

Each year thousands of people are killed on the country's roads.

South Africa's Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) said in May that 12,436 people were killed on the country's roads between January 2022 and December of the same year.

kb/wd (AFP, DW sources)