A 45-year-old truck driver has been arrested following a head-on collision with a taxi in Free State early on Monday morning.
The emergency medical services (EMS) confirmed on Monday afternoon that the death toll has since risen to 13. This after 11 people were declared dead on the scene soon after the crash on the N1, about 20km before Verkeerdevlei Toll Plaza towards Winburg.
Sipho Towa, spokesperson for EMS, said earlier: “At about 3.25am, emergency medical services were activated for a collision on the N1 between Verkeerdevlei and Winburg. On arrival, they noticed that a truck and a taxi collided head-on and that bodies were lying on the side of the road, with some trapped in the taxi.”
Ten people including five women, three children and two men were initially declared dead on the scene, said Towa, noting that while emergency crews were busy combing through the scene, another body was discovered trapped beneath the taxi.
He said many of the injured are children and had been admitted to the Pelonomi Trauma Hospital in Bloemfontein.
Monday’s accident follows another horrific crash in November which involved a bus and a truck on the N8 near Botshabelo outside Bloemfontein in Free State. Nine people were killed and many others were left injured.
Last week, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula launched the 2022 festive season road safety campaign at the Heidelberg weighbridge in Gauteng.
The campaign, which aims to prioritise and promote road safety on the roads during the holidays, is a collaboration between different spheres of government, transport entities, private sector organisations, non-government organisations and key stakeholders.
One of its main objectives is to maintain a smooth flow of traffic and prevent negligent and reckless driving behaviour that could result in crashes and fatalities.
According to the department, most crashes in South Africa occurred between 6pm and 10pm in 2016, with 63.9% of them happening between Thursday to Sunday.
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