The festive season fatalities continue to rise as an accident in which a car seemed to have crashed into the river claimed two lives and left three people injured. The accident happened between Bethal and Standerton in Mpumalanga on Tuesday.
According to the Arrive Alive statement, ER24 delta 1 rescue, the Mpumalanga inland water police and other rescue teams were at the scene to extricate the victims who were still trapped in the water in the vehicle.
“On closer inspection, medics found a man walking along the river bank, while two women were found some distance downstream. A second man was found lying on the opposite river bank, while a woman was seen lying inside the vehicle,” read the statement.
“On assessment, medics found that the man on the bank was in a critical condition with rapidly diminished vital signs. The other man and two women had sustained minor to moderate injuries. Medics treated the patients and administered CPR and advanced life support interventions to the critically injured man. Unfortunately, after some time, the man succumbed to his injuries.”
“After the rescue teams had extricated the entrapped woman, medics found that she had already succumbed to her injuries. Nothing could be done for her, and she was declared dead at the scene.”
The incident follows a day after the Department of Transport released a message by the newly-elected African National Congress (ANC) Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula on Monday, pleading with drivers to be safe on the roads as human behavior is the highest contributor to road fatalities during the festive season.
Meanwhile, details surrounding the incident are still unknown, as authorities are still conducting further investigations.
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