Three of the 10 tourists killed in a bus crash in South Africa were from Scotland, the Foreign Office has confirmed.

Officials have released details of those who died while travelling east of Johannesburg from a game park towards Swaziland.

It confirmed that one of the dead was Lesley Hall, who was on the bus with her husband Ronald. The couple were from Lenzie, near Glasgow.

The other two were retired company executive John Forbes, 67, and his wife Gillian, from Uddingston.

We were enjoying ourselves. It's difficult to take it all in. I can't believe we survived

Alan Sutherland

They had three daughters and seven grandchildren. The family issued a statement saying they were "completely stunned" by the accident.

"This is having a devastating effect on the entire family, especially our young children," it read.

The Halls' local minister, the Rev. Jim Ferguson, said: "The community is deeply shocked at the news about a couple who were much loved and widely respected in the local area."

Twenty-one people were on the bus when it overturned in bad weather. Of the 11 injured, two remain critically ill.

Police investigation

Police are still trying to find out what caused the accident at 1430 GMT on Wednesday on the road between Piet Retief and Pongola.

One of the passengers, Alan Sutherland, an oil rig worker from Aberdeen, was on the bus with his girlfriend Lynn Harper.

Mr Sutherland, 46, said: "I can't believe we're still alive. I thought that we were going to die. The bus swung from side to side as people screamed. It shot off the road and fell to the bottom of a hill."

Speaking from his hospital bed, he told journalists: "The driver lost control of the bus and it swerved two or three times. I still remember the coach running from side to side.

Passengers 'helpless'

"We are very lucky. People were in panic and screaming. We couldn't do anything. The driver was trying to control the bus as best he could.

"He tried to put it back on the road. I was thinking we were going to control it. It just took another swing to another side.

"We were enjoying ourselves. It's difficult to take it all in. I can't believe we survived."

The bus overturned in rainy conditions

The coach, carrying 19 tourists, a tour guide and driver, was on the third day of a routine trip between Durban, the Kruger National Park and Johannesburg.

Senior police officer Captain Sibongile Nkosi said it was miraculous that anyone had survived.

The bus had been travelling downhill on the approach to a bridge when the accident happened.

Guide 'critical'

Five critically injured victims were airlifted to the Muelmed Hospital in Pretoria and four others were transported by ambulance to the same hospital.

Three Canadians also died, along with three German tourists.

The driver, Bonga Ndebele, 48, was in a very serious condition and the tour guide was said to be critical.

Carol Scott, chairwoman of Springbok Atlas, said three of the tourists were in a serious condition with head, spinal and leg injuries.

She added: "This is a shocking tragedy. We will ensure that injured passengers are given the best medical care available."

Investigators have been examining the bus tachometer, the equivalent of an aircraft black box, to find out how the crash happened.

The Foreign Office has set up an emergency helpline for friends and relatives concerned about those involved in the crash, on 0207 008 0000.

In 1999, 26 British tourists and a South African tour guide were killed when another Springbok Atlas bus crashed in Mpumalanga.