Six maidens killed in taxi crash after Reed Dance rehearsals
Six maidens returning from rehearsals ahead of the Siyaya eMhlangeni reed dance have been killed in a taxi crash near Greytown in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.
The taxi the maidens had been travelling in crashed and burst into flames along the R33 between Dundee and Pomeroy on Saturday.
The driver was also killed in the crash.
Authorities say nine other occupants were taken to hospital for further care.
"They have been seriously hurt. It is painful [to know] that some of the girls were killed. We send our condolences to the families. It is not acceptable to lose life [in this way]," she said.
"We continue to pray for those who are in hospital."
Meanwhile, six people were killed in a separate crash in northern KwaZulu-Natal last night.
A bus transporting wedding guests veered off a narrow bridge and overturned on the road between Vryheid and Nongoma.
KwaZulu-Natal Emergency Medical Services spokesperson, Robert Mckenzie says 9 other people were critically injured in the crash.
Some 74 others sustained injuries ranging from minor to serious.
It is still unclear what caused the crash.
Five people were killed and 17 other hurt in a head-on collision involving a car and a taxi near Folweni, south of Durban.
The driver was also killed in the crash.
Authorities say nine other occupants were taken to hospital for further care.
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Arts and Culture, Hlengiwe Mavimbela says they will be monitoring the injured girls' recovery in hospital.
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Mavimbela says most of the injured maidens have since been transferred to the Edendale Hospital."They have been seriously hurt. It is painful [to know] that some of the girls were killed. We send our condolences to the families. It is not acceptable to lose life [in this way]," she said.
"We continue to pray for those who are in hospital."
Meanwhile, six people were killed in a separate crash in northern KwaZulu-Natal last night.
A bus transporting wedding guests veered off a narrow bridge and overturned on the road between Vryheid and Nongoma.
KwaZulu-Natal Emergency Medical Services spokesperson, Robert Mckenzie says 9 other people were critically injured in the crash.
Some 74 others sustained injuries ranging from minor to serious.
It is still unclear what caused the crash.
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In total, at least 21 people lost their lives in separate crashes on the province's roads over the long weekend.Five people were killed and 17 other hurt in a head-on collision involving a car and a taxi near Folweni, south of Durban.
Two people lost their lives in a crash on the N2 near Paddock, south of the province, while one person was killed near Umkomaas, also on the N2.
