Police in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province have launched a search for a scholar transport driver who allegedly fled after a fatal crash involving a minibus taxi transporting pupils.

The accident occurred on Wednesday afternoon in the township of KwaMashu, north of Durban, when a minibus taxi carrying children from local daycare centres overturned while taking them home.

One pupil died in the crash while several others sustained injuries. Emergency services responded to the scene and the injured children were taken to nearby medical facilities for treatment.

According to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport, the exact cause of the accident is still under investigation, although brake failure is suspected to have contributed to the crash. The department said officials have already met with the owner of the minibus taxi to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The owner reportedly told authorities that the driver contacted him shortly after the accident to inform him about the crash before disappearing. Authorities have since urged the driver to present himself to police.

“The driver who fled the scene must hand himself over to the police so that investigations can continue,” the transport department said, as reported by eNCA.

Police are continuing with their investigation as officials work to determine the exact sequence of events that led to the fatal crash.

Road crashes involving scholar transport vehicles remain a concern in parts of South Africa, with authorities repeatedly calling for stricter compliance with road safety regulations to protect pupils who rely on these services for daily travel.