48 hours in pictures, 16 August 2026

Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world. We bring you a visual snapshot of the day’s news events, featuring Hungarian police inspecting the wreckage of a Polish tourist bus after a deadly motorway crash, firefighters battling a major blaze at a logistics complex near Moscow, and corgis from across Europe racing and competing in costume at the annual Corgi Race in Vilnius. These are some of the compelling images from around the world. (For best view, click on image for fullscreen) Hungarian Police officers inspect the wreckage of a Polish tourist bus that was brough to the courtyard of the Highway Police Em?d near Miskolc, Hungary, after the bus had crashed on the M3 motorway near Mezokeresztes, about 150 km east of the Hungarian capital Budapest, on August 16, 2026. A Polish bus overturned on a Hungarian highway early Sunday, August 16, 2026, killing 12 people and leaving at least 10 with serious injuries, Hungary’s Prime Minister Peter Magyar and officials said. The coach, heading from Serbia to Poland, crashed at 1:00 am (2300 GMT Saturday) on the M3 highway near Mezokeresztes, east of Budapest, according to a police statement. (Photo by FERENC ISZA / AFP) Tyla at the 32nd annual South African Music Awards (SAMAs) at Sun City Superbowl on August 15, 2026 in Sun City, South Africa. The awards celebrate and honour exceptional and outstanding artists in different genres of music. (Photo by Gallo Images/Oupa Bopape) A firefighting helicopter prepares to drop a load of water during a fire at Russian e-commerce firm Wildberries’ logistics complex near the town of Podolsk, outside Moscow on August 16, 2026. Hundreds of drones targeted Moscow on August 16, 2026 as Russia launched missile strikes that killed three people and wounded more than a dozen in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, officials on the two sides said. Ukraine has increasingly targeted warehouses linked to the Wildberries online retailer, arguing its strikes are a response to Moscow’s bombardment of Ukrainian towns and infrastructure. (Photo by TATYANA MAKEYEVA / AFP) A Border Security Force (BSF) personnel takes part in the beating retreat ceremony on the occasion of India’s Independence Day at the India-Pakistan Wagah border in Wagah on August 15, 2026. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP) Funeral procession at the Special Provincial Official Funeral Service, Category 2, for Mzikayifane “Mzi” Khumalo at Ruimsig Stadium on August 15, 2026 in Roodepoort, South Africa. Khumalo, a former Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), passed away on August 10th, following a short illness. (Photo by Gallo Images/Sharon Seretlo) A participant competes in a donkey cart race organised by the local authorities in Karachi on August 16, 2026. (Photo by Asif HASSAN / AFP) Dikwena Tailings Storage Facility sidewalls collapsed at Samancor Chrome’s Hernic operation near Brits, North West, on 13 August 2026, sending a massive sludge flow across access roads and into the adjacent Eland Mine’s Maroelabult shaft area. Several vehicles were swept away, while damage to Eskom power infrastructure caused widespread electricity outages in Brits and surrounding areas. Investigations into the incident are ongoing. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen France’s swimmer Leon Marchand competes during a heat for the men’s 400m freestyle swimming event during the LEN European Aquatics Championships at the Olympic Aquatic Centre in Saint-Denis, northern suburbs of Paris, on August 16, 2026. (Photo by Sébastien BOZON / AFP) Corgi dogs take part in a 50m race during the Corgi Race in the Vingis Park in Vilnius on August 15, 2026. For the the fifth time Vilnius hosts the Corgi Race and costume contest inviting corgis from across Europe. (Photo by Petras Malukas / AFP) Dead fish at Small Bay Beach in Blouberg on August 14, 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa. It is reported that the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has started that specialists are screening samples for marine biotoxins as the investigation into dead sardines at several locations along the Western Cape coast continues. (Photo by Gallo Images/Misha Jordaan) Devotees carry an idol of the elephant-headed Hindu deity ‘Ganesha’ during a procession in Mumbai on August 16, 2026 ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP) Hartbeespoort Dam is frequently covered by Salvinia minima (common salvinia or water spangles), a small invasive floating fern native to South America. The plant thrives in nutrient-rich water, fuelled by pollution and untreated sewage inflows, where it rapidly forms dense mats that block sunlight, reduce dissolved oxygen levels and threaten fish and other aquatic life. The infestation also affects tourism, boating and other recreational activities on the dam. Pictured at Hartbeespoort Dam, North West, on 14 August 2026. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen Members of dance ensembles dressed in Russian national costumes take part in the Khorovody Rossii (Round Dances of Russia) Festival in front of the Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas, on Anchor Square in Kronstadt, near St. Petersburg, on August, 15, 2026. (Photo by Olga MALTSEVA / AFP) Polish cavalry takes part in the military parade marking Poland’s Armed Forces Day, on August 15, 2026 in Warsaw. The holiday, also known as Feast of the Polish Armed Forces, annually marks the anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw from the year 1920, when the Polish Army successfully repulsed the Red Army offensive during the Polish-Soviet War. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP) Sophiatown and Melville residents take part in a protest over ongoing water shortages in Johannesburg, 14 August 2026. Residents say recurring outages have left them without a reliable water supply for extended periods this year, forcing some to walk long distances to collect water from municipal tankers, while others have had to buy water to meet their daily needs. Protesters are calling on Johannesburg Water and the City of Johannesburg to restore a reliable water supply and address the ageing infrastructure behind the repeated disruptions. Picture: Jessica Nkuna/The Citizen A woman takes part in the “Rave the Planet Parade” on August 15, 2026 in Berlin. According to the organisers, the parade is “a demonstration for peace, diversity, and humanity, powered by the spirit of electronic music”. (Photo by Fabian SOMMER / AFP) MKP Deputy President Duduzane Zuma and 8 year old Junior Mthombothi during the uMkhonto weSizwe Party national intervention to regions programme at Gauteng Provincial Legislature on August 14, 2026 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Duduzane Zuma and Sibonelo Nomvalo participate in the party’s regional mobilisation programme, which includes activities in Sedibeng, the West Rand and Greater Johannesburg. (Photo by Gallo Images/Fani Mahuntsi) This aerial photograph shows the wreckage of the “Slovenac”, a paddle-wheel tugboat built in 1913, emerging from the low waters of the Sava River near Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia, on August 16, 2026, as drought and prolonged hot and dry weather continue to lower water levels across the region. According to Serbian media and local historians, the Slovenac was a paddle-wheel steam tug powered by two steam engines. It sank on April 25, 1945, after striking a German mine while transporting supplies and wounded soldiers during the final days of World War II, and has since become a local landmark that reappears during periods of exceptionally low water. (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP) A SE-MHN Air Tractor AT-802F Fire Boss loads water from the Vesdre Dam, or Eupen Lake, during a wildfire burning in the Hautes Fagnes (High Fens) nature reserve, near Eupen, eastern Belgium on August 16, 2026. Hundreds of villagers were under evacuation orders in eastern Belgium on August 15, 2026 as firefighters battled one of the country’s worst-ever wildfires, with vast swathes of nature reserve turned to a singed wasteland. Reinforcements were pulled from across the country to fight the blaze that broke out on August 14, 2026 in the High Fens park near the German border and quickly spread, with helicopters and water bombers flying in from across the EU to help. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP) US singer Becky G performs at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on August 15, 2026. (Photo by Jerod Harris / AFP) MORE: 24 hours in pictures, 13 August 2026