• The crash happened just before midnight on Monday when a truck smashed through the side of a bus.

• Authorities are investigating claims that the bus was carrying supporters from a Youth Day political rally.

A crash between a truck and a bus has claimed at least 12 lives near Vryheid in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

The accident happened just before midnight on Monday on the R34 road. The truck and the bus collided head-on, and the truck then tore through the side of the bus.

Ten people were declared dead at the scene and taken to the Vryheid mortuary. Two more died in hospital early on Tuesday morning.

Over 30 people were rushed to hospital with injuries, and both drivers were among those hurt. Six people on the bus were not injured.

Emergency workers were still on the scene after 2am.

KwaZulu-Natal's Department of Roads and Transport said the cause of the crash is still under investigation. The Road Traffic Management Corporation and the South African Police Service are involved in the probe.

There are claims that the bus was carrying political supporters returning from a Youth Day event, but this has not been confirmed.

"We are establishing facts around reports that the bus was transporting supporters of a political party," said department spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya.