A coach crash which left a Worthing woman injured and 27 other British tourists dead was caused by the driver pressing the wrong pedal, a court heard today.

Lesley Dick was one of only seven survivors of the horrific crash on a South African mountain pass in September 1999.

Miss Dick, 37, suffered a broken collarbone, two broken ribs and cuts to her face and legs.

The coach driver, Titus Dube, admitted culpable homicide in March. He was due to be sentenced today.

Mr Dube, a father-of-five, told Lyndenburg Regional Court how he pressed the accelerator instead of the brake as he hurtled around the treacherous mountain roads.

He admitted driving at up to 73 mph on the corner where the crash happened.

Of 34 passengers on the coach, 28 died. The roof of the bus was ripped off in the impact of the crash and it flipped over twice, throwing people up to 200 ft from the wreckage.

Mr Dube, a coach driver for 25 years, fell to his knees and prayed with remorse when he later visited the crash site, the court was told.

He faces up to ten years' jail for his role in the accident at Long Tom Pass, near Lydenburg.

Probation officer Petra Oberholzer told the court that Dube, who started driving 25 years ago, had twice reported problems with the brakes of the coach.

The bus company, Springbok Atlas, checked out the vehicle in the days before the crash and police later found there was nothing wrong with them, she said.

Supervisors said Dube, who joined the firm in 1999, was a good driver and they had never had any trouble with him.