Six people died in a car crash on the N4 toll road between Middelburg and Malakhleni in Mpumalanga on Sunday.
According to Moeti Mmusi, spokesperson for the provincial Department of Public Safety, Security and Communications, preliminary investigations indicate that the driver lost control of the vehicle and it veered off the road.
Mmusi urged motorists to be careful while driving. “All six passengers, the driver and five passengers, died at the scene of the impact, among the dead were five men and one woman, the cause of the tragic incident is being investigated. However, there are suspicions that the cause could have been fatigue.”
Meanwhile, in Polokwane, two men were killed and two others injured when a car rammed into another on Dendron Road, about 60km from Polokwane.
ER24 and another service attended the scene and found two wrecked vehicles on the side of the road. Upon closer inspection, the medics found two men lying motionless, one in each car. Two other men were sitting near the cars.
Medics examined the patients and found that the two men who were in the cars had already died from multiple injuries. Nothing could be done for them and they were pronounced dead.
Two other men were in critical condition. The men were treated before being taken to a nearby hospital for further treatment. Local authorities were on the scene to investigate further.
In Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province, two people have been injured in a crash on the M4 near the Virginia Durban exit. It is believed that the car left the roadway and crashed into a tree.
Medi Response Paramedic Paul Herbst says when paramedics arrived they found two people trapped in the vehicle.
“Upon the arrival of our unit, it was determined that the car had gone off the roadway and collided with a tree, resulting in 2 people being severely trapped.
“Paramedics and rescue workers worked to pull heavily trapped people from the wreckage using the ‘Jaws of Life.’
Herbst says both patients were in critical condition and were stabilized at the scene and transported to a nearby facility for further necessary care.