Bus crash in mountainous region of South Africa kills at least 42 people

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A bus veered off a road and plunged down an embankment on a steep mountain pass in northern South Africa, killing at least 42 people and leaving another 49 passengers injured, authorities said Monday.

The crash happened around 6 p.m. Sunday on the N1 highway near the town of Louis Trichardt, around 400 kilometers (248 miles) north of the capital, Pretoria.

The Transport Ministry said in a statement that the victims included seven children, 17 men and 18 women. It said six people were critically injured and another 31 had serious injuries and had been taken to several hospitals. One critically injured child was airlifted to a hospital, the ministry said.

Images released by authorities showed the blue bus lying upside down in the embankment with rescuers working underneath it to search for victims. The Limpopo provincial government said rescue operations continued late into Sunday night.

The bus was traveling to Zimbabwe and was carrying Zimbabwean and Malawian nationals who were on their way to their home countries, the Transport Ministry said. It said the cause of the crash was not yet known.

In a statement, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa offered “his deep condolences to the nations of Zimbabwe and Malawi who have lost compatriots.”

“This sadness is compounded by the fact that this incident has taken place during our annual transport month, where we place a special focus on the importance of safety on our roads," Ramaphosa said.

Last year, 45 people were killed in a bus crash in the same Limpopo province when their vehicle veered off a bridge and into a ravine. An 8-year-old girl was the only survivor of that crash. That bus was carrying mainly Botswana nationals who were traveling to an Easter church gathering in South Africa.

Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa.

AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

In this photo made available by the South African Department of Transport and Community Safety, Police officers and emergency rescue workers search for victims from a bus lying upside down in the embankment, in Louis Trichardt, South Africa, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (South African Department of Transport and Community Safety via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL will honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. by displaying “Choose Love” in the end zones and on helmet decals for all divisional round playoff games this weekend.

“Choose Love” and “It Takes All of Us” will appear on opposite end zones at the Super Bowl next month. Host teams will select the end zone stencils for the conference championship games.

“Dr. King’s message continues to guide how we show up in meaningful moments across the league,” said Anna Isaacson, SVP of social responsibility for the NFL. "'Choose Love’ has become an important and widely embraced message for our teams because it reflects the values Dr. King championed — dignity, empathy, and a commitment to our shared humanity. Bringing it forward in the Divisional Round and again at Super Bowl LX reflects that continued relevance.”

“Choose Love” was first introduced in 2022 when the Bills adopted it as a unifying message for their community after a shooting in Buffalo. NFL teams have widely embraced the stencil, and it was featured at the Super Bowl last year following an attack in New Orleans.

The NFL has used on-field social justice messaging for the past six seasons. Teams featured an end zone message of their choice at each home game throughout the season, selecting from four options: “End Racism,” “Stop Hate,” “Choose Love” or “Inspire Change.” “It Takes All of Us” was stenciled in the opposite end zone for all games.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

FILE - The word's "Choose Love" are displayed in the end zone at AT&T Stadium before a NFL football game between the Washington Commanders and the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Patterson, File)