Seventy-two children were injured, two of them critically, when the school bus they were travelling in overturned near Underberg in KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday morning.

The incident happened in Centocow Road. The children were rushed to the nearby St Apollinaris Hospital for initial treatment, ER24 said in a statement.

Medics found two children in a critical condition, while the others sustained minor to moderate injuries.

“The children were treated for their injuries and the critically injured provided with advanced life-support interventions," said ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring.

“Once treated, the one critically injured patient was airlifted to a hospital by a private medical helicopter. The remaining patients were transported by various services to nearby hospitals."."

Meiring said details surrounding the incident were unknown, but local authorites were investigating.