Two British female students killed and 20 injured as their safari bus overturns in South Africa

Two British female students were killed today in a horrific South African bus crash that cast a shadow over the opening of the World Cup tomorrow.
Both the dead 19-year-old girls were said to have died instantly when the four-wheel drive safari tour vehicle skidded and flipped on to its side near the city of Nelspruit, in the north east of the country.
Another teenage male student, who had been trapped beneath the wreckage of the bus, was said to be a critical condition last night after undergoing an emergency operation. He had been flown from the scene to hospital.
A further 16 Britons - students and teachers - required hospital treatment for head, spine, collar bone, leg injuries and cuts. Several were being kept overnight in hospital in Nelspruit, which is one of the host cities for the World Cup.

Incredibly, the bus had come to rest on its side close to the edge of a hill and emergency workers at one stage faced the prospect of it rolling over as they stuggled to free the injured.
One official said many of the group had been sleeping when the accident happened around noon.
'They woke up to the terrible scene,' he said.
The victims were initially taken to a provincial hospital in Barberton, just a few miles from the scene of the accident. Emergency teams then transferred the worst casualties to Nelspruit.
A medical source, who did not want to be named, said: 'The first three patients who came in were far ahead of the others and received treatment straight away.
'One was a seriously injured young man whose abdominal organs were damaged. He went into theatre for an operation almost immediately.
'The other guy had lacerations on his body and needed urgent bandaging.
'The third was a young women also with lacerations.

Police officers check the bags of the passengers from the accident.

Police spokesman Captain Leonard Hlathi said: 'The driver apparently lost control and overturned. Two females died at the scene and they were removed from the wreckage.
'We are awaiting reports from the scene.'
None of the dead and injured had been named tonight. A number of relatives of the injured were flying to South Africa to be with their loved ones.
The areas around Nelspruit is mountainous and the roads described as 'pretty treacherous'.
One traumatised victim rang her mother from her hospital bed to break news of the tragedy to her family.
A hospital official said: 'She was one of the first admitted to us with a cut to the head was crying and shaking.
'She was bandaged on the head and rang her mum back home in Britain, who didn't even know it had happened. She hadn't heard about the accident and was obviously reacting in a very upset way.
'The girl was terribly shocked and has been talking about her two friends who she saw dead on the ground.