The health department's acting director for forensic pathology services, Dr Mtandeki Xamlashe, had his hands full when the identification process became chaotic, with some families wanting to enter the small office in large numbers.
Mncedisi Papa cried out in shock and disbelief when he saw the body of his mother Nothobile Papa."I can't believe it's my mother who is dead ... no, it cannot be."She was full of life and there was no indication that I would never see her alive again. This is very devastating. Now there are 64 people who have died on the roads of Centane.
Xamlashe said:"Their anger is understandable. They have just lost their loved ones in a horrific accident. They are still distraught and traumatised. All they want is to see the bodies of their relatives." Nxaxho villager Jackson Matroos, 67, was hailed a hero. He took several trips with rescue personnel down the hill to bring the injured people from the wreckage to the top of the treacherous hill and took several others to hospital."I wish we could have saved all the lives in the bus but unfortunately only God decides. It is a pity that we have lost lives."
The families of the deceased and traditional leaders have called for a cleansing ceremony to be conducted at the crash site. Some of the bodies are being kept in Butterworth and others in East London.
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