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Tragedy: A man walks pass the dead body of David Mahlangu, covered in a red blanket, who rescued 70 passengers from a burning bus. Photo: Motlholo Moema, The Star
DURBAN, South Africa
The Mercury
September 18, 2008
By Graeme Hosken
A bus driver died while saving about 70 passengers from a burning bus.
David Mahlangu, 50, a Putco bus driver, was transporting passengers from Moloto to Pretoria on Wednesday along the Moloto Road when the bus's engine caught fire.
Stopping the bus near the Kameeldrift police station when smoke began to fill the vehicle, Mahlangu leapt out with a fire extinguisher and raced to the back where flames were billowing from the engine compartment.
Realising that his passengers were battling to get out, Mahlangu began to smash open the windows, allowing his passengers to escape.
Mahlangu, who according to his employers suffered from asthma, is believed to have been overcome by the fumes and smoke as he continued to extinguish the blaze after ensuring that everyone had escaped.
Putco's Raphiri Matsaneng said the company was devastated by what had happened.
He said Mahlangu, who had been driving on the Moloto-Pretoria route for the past three years, was a true hero.
"If he had not done what he did, many more people could have been killed," he said, adding that Mahlangu had given his life for his passengers.
He said the company had been inundated with calls of support from commuters.
"This is a testament as to how much respect he had for his passengers and how much they appreciated him," he said.
Kameeldrift police station spokesperson Portia Maleka said an inquest docket had been opened into the death of Mahlangu.
She said the bus caught alight about 500m from the Kameeldrift police station.
"Seventy people who were on board managed to escape from the bus," she said, adding that several commuters had been taken to a local hospital for treatment for shock.
She said the bus had sustained damage to the engine compartment and that several windows had been smashed open by Mahlangu to allow the commuters to escape.
Maleka said at this stage it was not known how Mahlangu died.
"What we can say is if he had not smashed open the windows a lot of people could have been seriously injured or killed.
"He definitely saved a lot of lives," she said.
© 2008 Mercury & Independent Online (Pty) Ltd.
Tragedy: A man walks pass the dead body of David Mahlangu, covered in a red blanket, who rescued 70 passengers from a burning bus. Photo: Motlholo Moema, The Star
DURBAN, South Africa
The Mercury
September 18, 2008
By Graeme Hosken
A bus driver died while saving about 70 passengers from a burning bus.
David Mahlangu, 50, a Putco bus driver, was transporting passengers from Moloto to Pretoria on Wednesday along the Moloto Road when the bus's engine caught fire.
Stopping the bus near the Kameeldrift police station when smoke began to fill the vehicle, Mahlangu leapt out with a fire extinguisher and raced to the back where flames were billowing from the engine compartment.
Realising that his passengers were battling to get out, Mahlangu began to smash open the windows, allowing his passengers to escape.
Mahlangu, who according to his employers suffered from asthma, is believed to have been overcome by the fumes and smoke as he continued to extinguish the blaze after ensuring that everyone had escaped.
Putco's Raphiri Matsaneng said the company was devastated by what had happened.
He said Mahlangu, who had been driving on the Moloto-Pretoria route for the past three years, was a true hero.
"If he had not done what he did, many more people could have been killed," he said, adding that Mahlangu had given his life for his passengers.
He said the company had been inundated with calls of support from commuters.
"This is a testament as to how much respect he had for his passengers and how much they appreciated him," he said.
Kameeldrift police station spokesperson Portia Maleka said an inquest docket had been opened into the death of Mahlangu.
She said the bus caught alight about 500m from the Kameeldrift police station.
"Seventy people who were on board managed to escape from the bus," she said, adding that several commuters had been taken to a local hospital for treatment for shock.
She said the bus had sustained damage to the engine compartment and that several windows had been smashed open by Mahlangu to allow the commuters to escape.
Maleka said at this stage it was not known how Mahlangu died.
"What we can say is if he had not smashed open the windows a lot of people could have been seriously injured or killed.
"He definitely saved a lot of lives," she said.
© 2008 Mercury & Independent Online (Pty) Ltd.
