Dozens killed in KZN weekend crashes
Updated | By Nushera Soodyal
Four women have been killed in a horror crash on the R66, near Ulundi.
Eleven others were treated for various injuries after the collision, involving a bakkie and a minibus last night.
The devastating news comes as officials try to determine what caused two other collisions in KwaZulu-Natal, that claimed the lives of at least 20 people.
The accidents occurred on Saturday - the first in the morning in Appelbosch and the second in the evening in Empangeni.
Both were head-on collisions. In the Empangeni crash, the minibus taxi and sedan that were involved burst into flames.
There has been a fatal crash on the R66 near Ulundi. Sadly 4people have sustained fatal injuries &multiple patients have been treated by paramedics. The crash inv a bakkie & minibus. The minibus left the road & crashed down an embankment. pic.twitter.com/HDQDtZHVdv
— KZN EMS (@KZN_EMS) December 9, 2018
Emergency services officials say the death toll in that crash has currently been put at a preliminary figure of 13 while they wait for a forensic investigation to confirm the final number.
Mluleki Mntungwa, who's with KZN Transport, says the MEC visited the Empangeni crash scene yesterday and described it as horrific.
"The MEC said that these two crashes should not deter us as the province of KwaZulu-Natal in our efforts to ensure that we reduce road carnage in the province. They come in the backdrop of the launch of our festive season safety campaign which will focus mainly on safety on our roads and on the community," Mtungwa said.
The Appelbosch crash involved a bakkie and a car and claimed seven lives. A survivor was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
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