The crash involving a bus and a goods train occurred Wednesday afternoon at a level crossing in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, a province in eastern South Africa, the Department of Transport said in a statement, Xinhua reports.

The department confirmed that five children lost their lives and 20 children were critically injured in the accident.

Law enforcement authorities said the bus driver fled the scene after the crash, and the train driver and crew did not sustain any injuries.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, the statement said.

In the statement, South African Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy called on law enforcement agencies to intensify their road safety campaign involving school transportation, and urged road users to exercise extreme caution, especially at level crossings, and to adhere strictly to traffic regulations.

Earlier in July, 13 people, including 12 pupils and a driver, were killed and seven others injured in a minibus-truck collision near Johannesburg in Gauteng province.