The death toll from a collision involving a taxi and a truck on the N1 in the Free State has risen to 13 with three others in hospital receiving treatment.
The Free State emergency medical service said that the crash happened between Winburg and the Verkeerdevlei Toll Plaza in the early hours of Monday morning.
Three others including a child were injured after a taxi and a truck collided head-on. The taxi driver was among those who died in the incident.
Free State Emergency Medical Services (EMS) spokesperson Sipho Towa said the crash happened 25km from Winburg towards the Verkeerdevlei toll plaza near Bloemfontein.
“At about 03:25, Emergency Medical Services were activated for a collision on the N1 between Verkeerdevlei and Winburg.
“On arrival of the crews, they found a truck and a taxi collided head-on. Thirteen people have been declared dead on scene, unfortunately- seven males, two females and four kids. Three were then rushed to hospital at Pelonomi Trauma Unit in Bloemfontein.”
Towa said authorities were on scene for further investigations. Two people were left critically injured from the accident and one sustained minor injuries.
The southbound lanes on the highway are currently closed while authorities attend to the scene.
Meanwhile, at least five people were killed in a crash on the N4 in Moedwil West near Rustenburg in the North West.
It is understood the driver of the vehicle in which they were travelling in tried to overtake another vehicle when he lost control and collided with an oncoming vehicle
Alpheus Koonyaditse, provincial Transport Management department’s spokesperson said the accident happened about four kilometres outside the farming area of Moedwil.
“One critically wounded woman was airlifted to Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg and the other to Rustenburg hospital.”
“This is the same stretch of road where exactly 30 days ago, seven lives were lost. It took several hours to remove entrapped bodies from the mangled wreckage,” said Koonyaditse.
Source: The Citizen, Eyewitness News, Jacaranda FM, image from Twitter: @VoiceKasi